Old Friends Anew: Special Edition
by redemption2
Summary: The rewrite to Old Friends Anew: Destiny's True Beginning is here! Part 3 of 4 finally arrives. The demon's maw opens, sending the world plunging into the pit of hellfire. Chaos reigns as the second generation suits make their appearances.
1. Chapter 1

Old Friends Anew: Destiny's True Beginning

Special Edition Part 1

Shattered Worlds, Worlds Apart

Basked in the purple glow of the morning sunrise, a young couple took a stroll on a beach, ignoring the wreckage the war left there. In that same early morning, at the ORB spaceport in Onogoro, a personal guard examined the itinerary for an important spacecraft, while his charge tried to dodge flies that protested her trip to space. In seeing this, the emerald-eyed teen smiled slightly.

"Continuing coverage on yesterday's terrorist bombing and attack of ZAFT military factories in San Diego," Someone had turned up a news broadcast, replaying the security photos of an SUV barreling into the main building and exploding. "It has been confirmed that the "Holy Land" group, a remaining spur of the defeated Blue Cosmos terrorists, was involved. The PLANT government, infuriated at the Atlantic Federation's ineptitude, still awaits further clarification." At this, the man drew his lips tight.

Two years and still they wouldn't stop fighting. He remembered a passage that he had once read, and looked it up once again, on his trip to the stars. "'"You may freely eat any fruit in the garden, other than the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of this fruit, you will surely die."'" A tall man with long black hair stared at his itinerary, squinting at one certain appointment. At the same time, a nameless man in a flight suit floated in front of his machine, determination etched into his face, and the scar across his nose. Two pilots, one of a white one-eyed mecha, and one of a blue and white two-eyed mech, parked their vehicles and powered down, their melee training exercise over. "'Now, the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures God had made. "You won't die!" The serpent hissed. "When you eat of the fruit your eyes will be opened, and God knows that, and you will become like God, knowing both good and evil." Believing that, the first humans ate of the fruit.'" As he finished, he closed his eyes, letting his blue hair cover them as he slept.

Cosmic Era, year 72. The one and a half year war between Earth and PLANT came to an end following the battle of Jachin Due. The two sides formed their treaty in the ruins of Junius Seven, a place of unprecedented tragedy in the conflict. This treaty outlined the intentions of both sides to maintain peace and work towards a mutual understanding. Thus, the world has been set on the path to stability. However….

"ORL-010, localize… online."

"ORL-010, NavCom link confirming."

"010, entry vector is on target. Continue your approach. Go to deck number three, and stand by at receiving status B." The L4 PLANT, also known as ZAFT's Armory One, radioed the ORB spacecraft, as it began its docking run. A certain golden-haired girl stared out the window as the port enveloped them.

"The final rehearsal for the military bands will be held on Helipad Three, beginning at 1400 hours."

"Gateau Team of the Second Maintenance Unit, please report to Six Hangar."

"BB01 docking completed. All phase five linkups are to be executed immediately."

"Core Team, Seventh Crew, report to the spaceport and assist Second Crew." The military facility was no less busy than the spaceport. Mobile suits in official dress colors were sent every which way as they prepared for a launch ceremony, to the brand new battleship that sat in dry dock.

A door slid open, admitting an ORB representative, her body guard, and the security escorts into the room. To meet her was the tall man with long hair, and his entourage. "Yo. It's the Princess. I apologize for making you travel all this way to meet here." He welcomed her with open arms, his formal words flowing from his mouth like honey.

"No, I believe I should thank the Chairman for adding us into his busy schedule." Princess Cagalli of ORB returned as she shook his hand. "I'm grateful for this, Gichou."

He turned his head towards the body guard unexpectedly. The blue haired teen bowed in respect but said nothing. The Chairman gave only a small nod before motioning the lady to the seats. "How go things in your nation? I have heard many tales of problems being resolved since you became the Representative, Princess. As your ally, I congratulate you, and to be honest, am a bit envious of you." A young teen with black hair examined his cell phone as he waited for his friend, who showed up a few moments later, while a trio of three marched down the street, seemingly disinterested in each other, but obviously a group.

"There's still a lot to be done, I'm afraid." Cagalli took a seat.

"And? I've been wondering, what kind of matter could be so urgent that you would come here, on your own and unannounced, in spite of said obligations? Our Ambassador has informed me that there is something… shall we say complex… to discuss."

Cagalli's mouth twitched at the description. "I personally don't feel it's complicated at all. Even so, I've not received a clear response from the nation of PLANT regarding it. As I thought, whether it is complex or not depends on your consideration, correct?" The Chairman's aides looked to each other in surprise. "We have continually made requests that you, as a nation, cease applying resources acquired from ORB to military projects. Both technology and human resources have come your way after the ORB battle are being used as such." In the lull in the conversation, a girl stared at her reflection in a storefront window with her pale purple eyes, looking past her golden hair, at the beautiful dress she wore, twirling around once to examine herself. "Yet we haven't received any response until this moment. Why?"

The Chairman sighed. "That would best be answered during a tour of the facility." One of his aides winced at that, but he paid him no mind. "If you would please come with me, Princess."

The trio stood, waiting impatiently on a hill, the golden haired girl just staring off into space. A military jeep pulled up to them. "Get in."

As the tour procession stopped to let a GINN stomp its way through, the Chairman spoke. "The Princess is a woman of great courage, one who piloted a mobile suit in the war. You are also the ultimate Athha, successor to Lord Uzumi, the Lion of ORB, and have held true to his ideals for the nation, even under intense pressure. So, in your opinion, how should we act given the current state of the world? You know the answer to that question as well as I do." Her bodyguard gasped as he saw a new model mass produced suit.

A jeep drove passed them, containing a mechanic and a ZAFT redcoat in a mini-skirt, running her fingers through her short reddish-purple hair. Cagalli answered without much thought to the matter. "We will keep and defend the ideals of our nation. That's all there is to it."

"'ORB will not attack other nations. ORB will not allow attacks from other nations. ORB will not interfere in the disputes of other nations.'" Durandal quoted the Representative's rulebook, as a long blonde boy in a red coat recognized the voice, and quickly walked away.

"Exactly."

"Then those are the noble sentiments that we both believe in. If possible, that would be the best way to do things. However, only power makes that possible. I'm sure even you… no especially you understand that concept, Princess. That's the reason that ORB still has fully operational military facilities, isn't it?" Cagalli winced, getting caught in the hypocritical truth.

In one of the nearby hangars, the two boys and one girl hid at the side of the inner bay door, as the two ZAFT uniformed escorts unzipped their bags. From them, the boys pulled out and loaded automatic weapons in record time. The girl pulled out a long battle knife, staring at it blankly. Her expression slowly turned to anger and determination.

Cagalli went forward and faced the Chairman head on. "Even so, too much power can only lead to another conflict!"

That conflict was just beginning, as the three teens tore into the hangar, a gun in each hand. The boys picked off batches of workers and MPs before they even knew they were there. The girl took to the air, landing in the middle of a group, alternating between shooting and slashing as she spilt blood from their necks without mercy or waver. The green-haired leader looked around after pumping no less than four men full of lead. "Auel, up high!" The blue haired teen just smiled as he pointed the machine gun above his head without even looking, creating two more casualties.

"No, Princess." Durandal shook his head. "Power is necessary, because conflict will never disappear."

The leader of the assaulters smirked as he lofted a grenade that landed in the middle of the final batch of soldiers. The girl didn't even wince at the sound, multiple bodies felled around her. Seeing that she had no more enemies to kill, she dropped the weapons. "Sting." The blue-haired one known as Auel spoke to the leader.

"Yosh! Let's move!" They both dropped their weapons and headed for the three mobile suits, leaping up and into the cockpits. They began to boot up the weapons systems, their OS's reading an acronym, one that spelled GUNDAM. "How're they?"

"Okay. The intel was spot on." Auel smiled as he continued his checks.

"Fine here." The blonde answered in a monotone. Three sets of eyes flashed to life, and they slowly rose into standing position. Their grey forms were quickly covered with green, blue, and black coloring respectively. As they turned towards the hangar doors, a mechanic lifted himself up to the control station, and with his last breath, slammed his fist into the emergency alarm, sending a siren throughout the facility.

"What the…?" Chairman Durandal gasped, as the hangar doors were pierced by beam weaponry and exploded.

A second round tore into the hangar across. The explosion it caused was huge. "Cagalli!" The bodyguard dove on top of her.

"Gichou!" Durandal's aides shoved him to the side as well.

"Nani?! Guh!" Cagalli grunted on impact as the cloud of dust reached them.

From the smoke came three mobile suits. "Chaos… Gaia… Abyss?!" A mechanic observed as everyone else around him was running every which way.

"Stellar, you've got the left." Auel smirked.

"Understood." The blonde spoke flatly. All three broke. The girl's mobile suit turned into a galloping canine form, firing her beam rifle and shoulder cannons into a GuAIZ hangar, destroying most of the mobile suits inside. Abyss found another, firing its javelin cables and tearing them out, taking the entire roof down. Celebratory GINNs were of no use when Chaos pierced them with its beam rifle blasts.

"GINNs, hurry!" All available pilots were in a scramble.

"The new models from Hangar Six, they've been jacked!"

"Sortie everything we've got! Capture them at all costs!"

"What was that?!" Durandal and Cagalli got up.

"New models?" Cagalli looked around, as Abyss came into view, firing its core cannon into and through a building.

Upon seeing it's face, there was no doubt in either of their minds. "That's a…"

"Gundam!" Cagalli was in shock as well.

"Get the Princess to a shelter!" The Chairman ordered his most trusted aide. "Where are those countermeasures?! Get Minerva for backup!"

"Sir!"

"Come with me." The aide spoke to the representative.

She couldn't budge, stunned at seeing another of those kind of mobile suits. "Cagalli!" The boy shook her for a second before taking her hand and dragging her along.

Onboard the battleship bridge, the woman in the Captain's chair put down her phone. "Arthur, where's Shinn?"

Turning into one alley wound up being a dead end for Cagalli. Chaos withdrew its beam saber from a GINN's chest. Her bodyguard and she dove into the nearest building, while the escort mistakenly tried the other way. "Athrun!" The girl yelped as the mobile suit exploded, killing their escort instantly. Two more mobile suits tried to lure the green Gundam.

A DINN attempted an aerial shot at Gaia, but leaping into the air and extending its wing-sabers was enough to destroy the mobile suit in one swipe. What was left of the suit slammed into a hangar, blowing it up from the inside out. A new model ZAKU fell through the wall onto its back near the couple, as they hunkered down behind an upturned vehicle. Gaia reared up in mobile suit form, destroying a commander CGUE and GuAIZ in two accurate beam rifle shots. The two ORB members were stuck with no way out. Athrun looked around, desperate to find anything. Then the green metal of the mobile suit focused on his eyes. 'No choice, huh?' "Come on!" He grabbed Cagalli by the shoulder.

A flight-suited pilot flipped into a tiny white and blue jet as a cute female voice echoed through the bay. "Impulse, launch standby. Pilot to Core Splendor. Module Sword has been selected. Silhouette Hangar two opening. Silhouette Flyer, launch standby." A white, red, and black jet on a platform slid out of a cargo hatch and attached to a lift with a green light. "Platform set complete. Central catapult, online. Airtight shutters now closing. Launch area, beginning decompression sequence. All emergency personnel, stand by at your stations." A strong plexiglass shutter surrounded the lift platforms, and they started to go up. "Central catapult raising to liftoff positon." The pilot started going through all the checks. "Core Splendor, all systems online." A GUNDAM bootup screen played through. "Launch sequence, initializing. Hatch released. Linear launch system engaged." In the center of the Minerva, a hatch to the air opened, and the little blue jet rose up to the deck, a propellant wall slid behind it as the lights on the runway turned green. "Course clear. Core Splendor, hashin. Dozo." With those words the pilot pressed the throttle in preparation. A three stage checklist went by at light speed, and the jet released its breaks. It shot into the air, doing a double barrel roll.

"Catapult engaged." The girl continued as another platform was raised to the deck. "Chest Flyer, deploy. Go ahead." What looked like a mobile suit torso shot out of the bay. "Next, Silhouette Flyer, deploy. Go ahead." Its engines took a while to heat up, but it was out instantly when it was ready. "Leg Flyer, deploy. Dozo." There was no mistaking that these were legs, as they shot from their grappling locks.

Athrun grunted slightly as he lifted Cagalli up onto the chest of the giant robot. "Get inside."

"Eh?" He didn't have time to explain so he picked her up and jumped into the cockpit, sealing the hatch. He started booting up the system. "You're…."

"Like I'm going to let you die in a place like this!" The mobile suit's purple eye glowed and the arms moved, lifting the torso up into a sitting position as the legs bent. Slowly, the green armored creature stood up, venting steam from its chest as it completed its bootup. Directly in front of him was Gaia, which turned to notice them.

"What's this?" The girl said to no one, lifting her rifle against them.

"Kgh!" Athrun grunted as he hit the throttle, skidding away from the blast.

"Uh? Nani?" Before she could react, the suit landed on one foot and charged, with its spiked shield, sending the black machine flying one way, and its beam rifle the other. "This one…!" She hissed as she pulled a beam saber from her hip, throttling forward.

"Ah!" Cagalli gasped from her ringside seat as the danger alarm went off. From the shield slid out a beam axe, which Athrun took and slammed against the Gundam's shield, as the saber did the same to his.

Stellar had the better stance and forced them back, the metal of their armors ringing. "Reeaaah!" She swung her saber horizontally, and Athrun ducked low. The next blow was a backhand up his right shoulder. Though not strong enough of a swing to damage the suit, it did knock it back.

In the midst of the clash, the Chaos landed behind the ZAFT mass produced model, whipping out its own saber. "Stellar!"

"Ah!" Cagalli saw it from the her vantage point first.

"Kgh! Another one!" Just as the ZAKU turned, Sting came down upon him, slicing up the arm just below the shield. Simultaneously, two missiles managed to make it through his guard, pushing him away. Both thieves gasped, looking towards the source, as it zoomed passed them.

A small jet followed by a torso and legs barrel rolled into the air. The core fighter pulled straight up, ejecting its missile batteries as its wings and nose folded down. Leveling out, it turned on its laser sights, matching up two points on the legs. The pilot decelerated slightly as he squinted his dark red eyes. As the two parts linked up, the legs unfolded, all systems connecting.

Laser sights lined up the other piece in front of the two part contraption, and they both lifted into the air, so that when it docked, the entire mass of metal was vertical. As its systems connected, the shield moved out from the main camera, revealing the head of a Gundam.

The final flyer ejected its guidance pod, and lifted away, the laser sights activating on the main portion. A small wing-like portion rotated 180 degrees as it clamped onto the mobile suit's shoulders. The gray armor coated itself in a red and white scheme with the unmistakable sound of shimmering Phase Shift. It came down upon the enemies, grasping its equipment with both hands.

"Nani?!" Sting gulped.

"Huh?!" Stellar's alarms blared as she moved out of the way just before the attacking weapon bit into the stone under her.

The unknown suit slammed the two long swords together, twirling it over its head and activating the sabers when bringing it down to hip level. "Why is this happening? Do you people want to start another war?!" The pilot growled as he went forward, lifting the double sword over his head.

"What the… hell is this?" Stellar squeaked, dodging just in the nick of time as the attack sent a shower of rocks into the air. He broadsided her the opposite way, sending her flying into the air. Gaia's machine cannons in the head went off, bouncing harmlessly off of the armor as the red-eyed pilot reached behind him, whipping out the beam rifle mounted on his back, firing. Gaia thrustered to the side. When she landed she reclaimed her lost rifle and kicked off again just before the second shot tore into the ground.

Athrun and Cagalli could only stare wide eyed at the power and speed of the newcomer. Sting came out from his cover and fired his beam rifle twice. The reciprocating shot destroyed his cover instantly and he hid behind some more wreckage. "Another new model? Gundam?" Activating his onboard computer did him no good. "What's going on? There's no data on this thing at all! Auel!" As they began to regroup, Durandal power walked his way towards the Minerva.

"Tch! This one…!" Stellar growled as the enemy split his swords apart and swung them both down at her. She jumped into the narrow space in between and whirled around in BaCOE form, firing her overhead cannons. As the red and white Gundam turned around, he caught the attack on the small shield on its left arm before hurling the long sword in his right at the girl. In a bout of quick thinking, she transformed and placed the shield in front of her. The impact sent her flying.

"Shinn!" A communiqué from the Minerva opened on his screen. "Your orders are to capture them! You get that, don't you? They're our suits after all!"

"I know that!" He shot back. "But I'm not sure if that's possible as things stand."

The captain spoke into her phone at the same time. "If they're on a seizure mission, there should be a carrier somewhere outside. Any information?"

"I don't have all the details, but it doesn't seem like there's any movement. Please make recovery your top priority."

"Eeehh!" Stellar went on the attack, swinging her saber wildly. He easily dodged them and retaliated, pinning her sword against his and his shield.

"Just how did we manage to let the enemy steal them so easily?!" He snarled.

On the bridge an answer never came as Arthur gasped, entering the room was the most important man in the PLANTs. Turning her chair around, the captain's eyes went wide. "Gichou!"

"Situation report! What's going on here?!" He spoke without even a greeting.

Outside of the colony, a metallic shadow shimmered. Inside of the hidden battleship, a man in an Earth Alliance uniform, wearing a full headed helmet and mask, looked at his watch. Two black Alliance Dagger suits tapped their maneuvering thrusters, heading for the spaceport. The watch hit 1:00 PM. "Yosh! Let's go! Discretely, that is."

"Gottfried, TEI!" The ship's captain ordered. Four beams of thick green energy emerged from nothing, tearing straight through a Nazca class battleship. They had no warning before the entire crew was lost to the explosion. As the initial attack was still being felt, the element of surprise was with the ship that emerged from its mirror-like coating, sending countless missiles and more beam volleys into the vacuum.

"Unknown battleship has been spotted, attacking our troops!"

"What?! Sortie the Lesseps classes. Hurry!" As one of such began its exit run, the Daggers came around the corner at full burn and leveled their cannons at the bridge. The captain was vaporized as a missile exploded. One of the engines was taken out, sending the ships propulsion off balance, and the other active engine veered straight into the control tower, disintegrating everything and everyone inside.

The explosion rocked the entire colony. "Nani?" The captain looked around as all the others let out their own expressions of surprise.

"That was…" It clicked in Cagalli's brain.

"An attack from the outside. The port, maybe?"

Shinn brought his blade down on Gaia, as Stellar guarded with both her shield and sword. "Hwaaaaaahhh!"

"Stellar!" Sting thrust forward. The girl slid the blade away and jumped backwards.

"Uh?" Shinn's proximity alarm went off and he looked over his shoulder. "Kgh!" Chaos leapt up and let Abyss directly behind him take the shot with his core cannon. Impulse jumped to the side just in time. "Ou!" The grunt got stuck in his throat as Chaos turned on the sabers in its feet and slammed down just after the opposing suit jumped backwards. Sting lined up a shot and fired, Shinn raising his shield just in time. "Geeehh!" His alarm went off again as he looked to his left. "Uh!" Gaia came up to him and swung for the chest. Impulse ducked under the attack and jumped away.

"Reeeeaaaaahhh!" Her second attack ricocheted off the shield.

"Gwaaaaahh!" Impulse was sent to the ground.

"Uh!" Athrun gasped as he instantly went to adjust his settings.

"Athrun!" Cagalli urged him on.

"Hang on tight!" He grunted.

Auel skidded up behind Impulse and raised his melee weapon. "I've got you!"

The ZAKU bounded forward. "Hheeyy!" He charged the suit head on. "Ghhh!"

"Nani?!" Auel gasped as he was flung back. In reciprocation his core cannon went off, slamming into the ZAKU's shield, and flinging the mobile suit into the wall of a building.

Cagalli yelped and fell into Athrun's arms. "Uh? Cagalli!" He gasped as he pulled his hand away from her head, moist with fresh blood. He immediately took to the skies before the second attack came.

All of them switched to an aerial battle. Shinn gripped a boomerang above his shoulder and hurled it at Gaia. The machine blocked the shot and rolled away. Abyss took it's place. "Eeeh! Why you!" He opened up his shoulder shields and sent six midoric beams hurtling his way. Impulse shoved its shield into one of the beams and the others completely missed him, but tore into the allied mobile suits below. Shinn gasped at the scene before turning back to the battle in anger. "One more push! Geh!" He winced as a beam hit his shield and forced him away.

Sting looked to his side as two more ZAKUs, one white, one red, closed in. The red one's pilot was the miniskirted girl from before. "You little… don't look down on us because you took our suits!" She fired her rifle at Gaia, the blonde pilot twitching the controls to skit away. Sting turned away to follow her as Auel covered the rear, firing his projectile cannons at them. "Ah!" The female redcoat gasped as she realized their tactic.

"You're not getting away!" Shinn yelled. "Minerva! Force Silhouette!" He broke through Auel's barrage. The white and red ZAKUs followed, but the red one's engine blew, sending alarms cascading through her systems. She had no choice but to back off.

'This scene….' Athrun sighed internally as he landed by the emergency camp. 'It's like an entire horrible déjà vu.'

"B Block won't do! All working machines, dock with Minerva!" An XO issued orders.

"Uh?" Athrun targeted where he pointed. "Minerva?"

From said ship, yet another platform was raised to the deck, this time, with different equipment on the guidance pod. "Silhouette Flyer, sestsu. Go ahead!" The engines roared to life and it shot out of the catapult, the folded wings extending fully once it was clear.

"Eeeeehhh!" Stellar aimed all of her weapons at the colony wall, which absorbed the blast.

"Kuso!" Shinn grunted as he pulled both boomerangs from their casings at once, sending them flying at the machine. Auel stepped to the side and fired all seven of his beams into the path, destroying the weapons.

The white ZAKU whipped out its beam axe and slammed it into Abyss's scythe. The thief kicked it twice, and opened up its shields, sending multiple beams his way. "Kgh!" The blonde pilot hissed as he attempted to evade.

Chaos came up behind Impulse in its speedier mobile armor form. It released its gunbarrells from their moorings, firing beams from two different directions, each of which Shinn had to block with his shield. Raising his sword to attack the main portion, he didn't get enough momentum, and Chaos snapped it in half. "Kgh!" Shinn gasped. He was now weaponless. He could only defend as Chaos peppered him with beam spray.

The remaining ZAKU came in from above, forcing Sting to back away as the final Silhouette Flyer approached. "Shinn!" The Gundam pilot rose to meet it as Abyss swooped in, trying to attack the white suit, dodged expertly by the pilot.

Shinn ejected what was left of his flyer, and the phase shift coloring disappeared from its armor. The red and black flyer came up behind him, and clamped onto the shoulders. The phase shift armor returned, but with a new scheme of red, blue, and white. The shield opened up into a larger, full sized version, and the verniers went to full burn. All three enemies jaws dropped as he closed in at incredible speed. "Haaaaaaahh!" From his shoulder, he pulled out a beam saber.

Sting fired his rifle twice, expertly dodged by the speedy suit, before thrustering up at all possible speed. "This one's…."

"He has interchangeable equipment?!" Auel opened up his shields and fired. Two of the beams met Shinn's shield, but they didn't even slow him down. "Uh?!" The shield rammed him, sending electricity coursing through his systems.

Athrun and Cagalli's ZAKU landed in the Minerva's docking bay, with a little trouble, escaping the danger outside, as Chaos fired all four of its weapons into the colony wall, this time burning a hole straight through it. The air began to rush out of the colony, Impulse and the ZAKU fighting against the pull. The three stolen suits went out with all speed. "Kuso!" Impulse turned towards the opening.

"Shinn! Kgh." The blonde boy ran after him.

As Athrun lowered the poor girl from the suit, the red ZAKU's pilot gasped. "Who the hell are those people?" An MP drew his weapon. "Give me that!" She took it from him immediately. "You two over there, freeze!" Athrun immediately but himself between Cagalli and the weapon-toting girl.

"We can't lose Impulse as well." The captain of the ship stood. "Minerva must launch!"

"Minerva, launch sequence start." Arthur's voice was heard over every intercom. "This ship will now be in combat status."

"System control, all hands at attention. As of now, LHM-BB01, Minerva's ID code has become active. A55M6 alarm active." Cables retracted from the ship as the hatch below it opened, and the hulk of metal was lowered into the elevator shaft. "Teams two and five, stand by for damage control."

Outside, the unknown battleship grabbed all three of the stolen suits as Shinn scanned the stars. "Damn it… where are they?"

"Shinn, pull back for now! This is far too reckless!" His wingman complained.

On the side of the colony, a red and purple mobile armor sat attached as the masked man observed the two. "So that's why. Looks like I underestimated them a bit." He weighed anchor and went forward at attack speed. The blonde boy gasped as a shocking pressure ran through his brain. Two of the mobile armor's pods released and broke off into different directions. "I'll be taking that machine too!"

The weapons fired, corralling the mobile suit. Shinn turned around just in time to block one blast with his shield. "Geh! Where'd that come from? Uh!" The target vectored in on him at high speed. The white ZAKU went to full burn and blocked the shot of one of the pods. "Ray!"

"What the hell are you doing? If you don't focus all you are is a target! This enemy is far from normal!"

The last sentence, somehow made its way into the other man's brain. "What was… that just now?"

"Kuh!" Ray hissed as he saw the battleship round the corner of the colony.

"Launch gate, complete depressurization. Whenever you're ready, Captain."

"Engines active. Minerva, hashin saru!" The docking clamps released and the red and grey goddess of war was released, unfolding its wings as it went into full battle status.

As Ray and the unknown enemy engaged each other, he saw it. "Battleship?" It sent up flares, red, green, blue.

"Minerva?" Ray was stunned.

"Return signal? How come?" Shinn panted, his hot breath making clouds on his helmet.

"Bogey One is the target! Lower the bridge! Set course to Indigo-Delta! Accelerate by 20 percent." The captain ordered as the entire bridge lowered into a more sheltered area.

"Launcher control eight, load numbers one through four with Niedhardts!" The first officer ordered into his earpiece. "Tristan, one and two, Isolde, activate." The beam cannons calibrated their targets, and three linear cannons rose from an alcove in the bow. "Target: Bogey One!"

"FIRE!" The captain ordered. Missiles hurtled from the ship.

"Evade!" The EAF captain ordered. Its anti-aircraft cannons spun up, peppering the missiles with shrapnel.

The next volley was from the projectile cannons, exploding around the ship just as the mobile armor slid into the barricade net inside the catapult. "Withdraw now, Lee!" He ordered.

As he watched Cagalli's injury get treated, Athrun looked up as he heard the explosions, he himself being watched by the woman who before pointed a gun at him. Minerva fired its Tristan blasts, followed quickly by cannon fire. The speedy enemy dodged and released two propellant tanks from either side of the ship.

"Bogey One has discarded a part of its hull!" The radar man yelled.

"Turn ten to starboard, full speed!" The captain yelled. "Avoid it, now!"

The propellant detonated in proximity to the ship, causing the intelligence officer to scream.

"What the…" Athrun and Cagalli's escort grabbed a hold of the nearest grip.

When the smoke cleared, the enemy battleship was out of sight. ' "Too much power can only lead to another conflict" was it?' Athrun sighed as the battle ended. ' "Power is necessary, because conflict will never disappear" was it? Which one of those two phrases is the right one? But one of them will have to shape this world eventually.' He couldn't help but sigh, as Durandal finally spoke with Cagalli one on one, as emergency repairs to the ship were made.

Within a space graveyard, an abnormal amount of activity was present. "Solar wind velocity: steady. Flare level, S3. Particle arrival estimated in 30 seconds."

A modified GINN watched over the automated robot spiders as they did their work all around. "Particle arrival confirmed. Flare motor activation." Millions of mobile-suit size electronic devices lit up around the wreckage. One of the GINNs saluted. "Junius 7 has begun to move."

The wreckage of the Bloody Valentine tragedy brought worldwide attention when it began to move. "It's accelerated by another two percent!"

"At this rate, it will collide with Earth. Vector zero zero five."

"What in the world would cause this?!"

"The mass is way too large for such a major course change!"

"Someone contact the Chairman onboard the Minerva!"

A call came to the captain's chambers, where Durandal rested in a bathrobe as she answered it. "What is it?"

"Captain." The intel officer answered. "Durandal-gichou has a call from the council on channel one." The twos' eyes met in concern.

Once he received the details he immediately called the other aboard-ship guest into a meeting. "What do you mean…" Cagalli burst. "by saying Junius Seven is moving? Why?!"

"That I don't know." The Chairman answered quickly. "But it is indeed moving, and at a rather high rate of speed. It's on the most dangerous course possible. I have to apologize for bringing you into another accident, but I've ordered the Minerva to Junius Seven the moment repairs are complete." Both the representative and her boyfriend gasped at that. "I hope you can understand the reasoning, Princess."

On the bridge… "Eh?! No way!" The younger Hawke sibling gasped as she looked at the data on her co-worker's screen. "This can't be real!"

"I've gone through the simulations three times. It's going to collide with Earth."

On the Earth, an impromptu meeting at an ancient country club was being held. "Honestly, this is quite the unprecedented crisis. Earth destruction scenario, really."

"Hmph. Hasn't a movie been made like this once?"

"I've seen it. It hits Texas. This isn't even the least bit interesting." The bearded man took a shot on the billiards table.

"Wars I don't mind, but natural disasters are nothing but trouble for us."

The youngest of the club spoke up. "That's why today, I asked you all to gather." The entire room turned towards him. "It's our duty to make what is not interesting, interesting. Let us use this to our advantage."

In the crew lounge of Minerva, Shinn cracked open a can of coffee. "Is it really on a collision course with Earth?"

"Unh." Meyrin nodded, her pigtails flapping in the low gravity. "At least that's what Bart-san was saying."

"But with that, what are we going to do about it?" Her older sister asked anyone around.

"Ue?" One of the younger mechanics grunted, not expecting to be asked directly.

"Is there anything we can do?"

As everyone thought, Cagalli and Athrun walked down the same hallway. "Break it up." The normally silent Ray answered, drawing confusion from the rest of the room.

"Break it up?" Vino's face showed incredulity. "That thing?"

"It's already passed the point of no return. The gravity well will pull it into the Earth, and it's impossible to change the orbit. To avoid a direct collision, it will have to be shattered."

"But it's gigantic!" Youlan complained. "Even breaking it in half it'll still have an eight kilometer diameter!"

"Is it even possible to break something up that big?" Vino looked around. No one answered.

"If it collides, that will be the end of the Earth. Nothing will remain, no living thing will survive." Ray said with a flat gaze.

"Earth… eliminated…."

"Exactly."

"No way…" Meyrin gasped.

"Oh well." Youlan sighed. "If it can't be helped, it can't be helped. If it's beyond our control that is." It was the wrong thing to say at the wrong time, as he began to draw irritated looks. "To be honest, it might make life easier for PLANT. That'll eliminate a lot of hassles."

"KEH!" Cagalli snarled as she charged into the room after hearing it.

"Cagalli!" Athrun was taken off guard.

"How dare you say such blasphemy?!" She scolded, making everyone wince. "'It can't be helped'?! 'It might make life easier'?! Do you have any clue at all? About what would happen to Earth?! How many people would die for the sake of your easier life?! Do you really know what you're saying?!"

Her outburst shook the room as everyone fell silent. "I apologize." Youlan tried to seem meek.

"Khh! Is that how all of you ZAFT think?" Cagalli overstepped in her rage, making even Athrun wince. "We all lived through the war! Suffered through it! Even now nothing's changed?!"

"Stop it, Cagalli." Athrun grabbed her arm. She looked back at him in frustration.

"Huh. Sugarcoating everything has always been an Athha specialty, hasn't it?" An obnoxious tone emerged from the corner of the room. "It's not like it was supposed to be taken seriously, what Youlan said. Can't you see the difference, you?"

"What was that?!" Cagalli hissed at the red-eyed teen.

"Cagalli!" Athrun tightened his grip.

"Shinn, be careful with your words." Ray stared at nothing as he spoke.

After shooting an irritated look at his comrade, Shinn rolled his eyes. "Ah, I forgot. This girl is our distinguished guest, ORB's representative, isn't she?"

"You little!" She wrenched her arm free and began tromping forward.

"I said knock it off, Cagalli!" Athrun re-acquired his hold and pulled her behind him as he stepped forward. "And you are?" He spoke to the boy.

He glared but didn't say a word. Ray answered for him. "Shinn Asuka, Impulse's pilot."

Athrun lowered his brow. "Wearing a red uniform, do you think you're too good to introduce yourself?"

Shinn grunted, but before he could say anything, Ray spoke again. "He is an ORB refugee."

"Eh? ORB refugee?" Cagalli and Athrun's anger was replaced with surprise.

"Eeeh, that's right!" The boy tromped forward, his voice getting louder. "At Onogoro, because of your father, my entire family was killed! My best friend too! We all believed in the nation, and your weak ideals! In the end, we were betrayed!"

"_Even so, we promised, right?"_ The words of a young girl entered his mind.

"Rambling about ORBs ideals on and on…." Shinn's can was crushed in his hand. "You people never stopped to think about how many people would die because of your stubbornness! Well let me add four more people to your list! My mother, my father, my little sister Mayu, and my best friend Adam! You and your father took them all from me!"

Cagalli's eyes began to shudder. "Wh… Adam…."

Shinn took a deep breath and let it out. "I just wish someone who hasn't a single clue wouldn't talk as if they did." He stormed out of the room, not before slamming into her shoulder, hard.

"Uh… oi Shinn!" Vino ran after him as Athrun and the others looked on in shock.

As the Minerva's engines came back online and went to cruising speed, Athrun placed down a drink on Cagalli's desk, the girl staring at it deadpan. Noticing her reaction, Athrun kneeled down next to her. "Try not to think about it, Cagalli. It'll do no good. You knew it would happen eventually, meeting a person like him."

Shinn sat on his bed, searching through a pink cellphone's photo album, seeing pictures of himself, his parents, his sister. He smiled settling on one of him, Mayu, and a boy of about his age with orange hair and brown eyes, all covered with fall leaves.

"But to talk about my father that way..." She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her tears from flowing. "Father always suffered in making those choices. And yet…."

"But nothing can be done. We can't just go and ask him to understand." He gripped the sides of her arms supportively. "Right now, he wouldn't be able to." He thought back to his own rage during Flashing Blades. "Because of that, there's nothing we can do."

"But he…" Cagalli sniffed. "Doesn't understand. I lost my best friend too! Adam… I could never find him! His house was destroyed, there was no record of him evacuating..."

"Oh… so that's it. You know it's probably not the same Adam, Cagalli."

"I know… I know…." Her tears rolled down her cheeks. "I miss him so much… and Fath…." She fell forward, sending the two of them to the floor as she wailed. He held onto her tightly until she passed out, her energy gone.

After making sure she was comfortable, he floated out of the room, to the nearest elevator. It opened up, only to release Lunamaria. "Oh! Is she okay, the Princess?"

"You know, she lost her best friend and many other people important to her, including her father to that war. It's not like she doesn't understand grief." He floated into the elevator and the door shut with the last word. Luna looked to the door, feeling guilty.

"Junius Seven, arriving in 1200." The navi spoke as Athrun was admitted to the bridge.

"Incoming visual." Meyrin pulled it on screen.

"Um?" Durandal noticed the newcomer. "Something wrong, Alex-kun? The Princess?"

He nodded to the man and turned to the captain. "I realize this might be impossible, but I would ask to borrow a mobile suit."

"Eh?" She answered, the entire crew turning to stare at him. "I wasn't sure if you were going to ask that or not, but that is rather impossible after all. Do you really think I can grant that request to a foreign civilian, even if it were under regular circumstances?"

"True." He answered. "But I can't just do nothing in this situation. If you have any type of machine I can use, I beg of you!" He bowed. The captain sighed.

"A name shows everyone that its owner exists." Everyone turned to the Chairman, confused. "But what if the name is actually fake? If the name is fake, would that mean that the existence in and of itself is fake? Is that what it would mean, Alex Dino? No, Athrun Zala-kun."

His eyes opened in shock. "Eeeh?!" Arthur took a step back.

"Gichou…" The boy was speechless.

"Athrun… Zala…" Captain Gladys could only stare at the boy and chastise herself for not figuring it out sooner.

"It's fine, Captain." Durandal smiled. "I'll authorize it. Call it the Chairman's authority in an emergency situation."

"Gichou! That's…."

"It's not like this is in combat. With an operation of this scale, the more machines, the better. And you know his flight record." Any other opposition was silenced as Meyrin received a report. Dearka Elsman and the Meteor Breaker squadron entered the vicinity of Junius Seven.

"Three minutes until mobile suit launch. All pilots standby in your suits. I repeat…." Meyrin's voice echoed in the hangar.

"We're supposed to support the crews breaking it up, right? But what exactly are we doing?" Luna complained to Youlan. "Uh?" She saw another red-clad figure float up to a green ZAKU.

"From what I heard, he's going too. Guess the more the merrier is the motto for this operation." He informed the girl as Athrun pulled himself into the machine.

"Heeeeh? Well, he can handle a mobile suit, that's for sure."

"Eh? Him too?" Shinn got the news from Vino.

"Apparently Meyrin got the big scoop." Youlan leaned against her ZAKU's armor. "He used to be a ZAFT red coat. Heard of Athrun Zala?"

"WHA?!"

The GuAIZ teams moved their equipment into position to land on the moving wreckage. Out of hiding, a black and purple GINN shot its beam rifle into one of them, detonating the breaker and killing the men. "Nani?" Elsman's ZAKU took off just before two blasts tore into the space where he used to be. "What is this? High Maneuver GINNs?!"

Two more GuAIZ were destroyed before the report could make it to his commander, Yzak Joule. "GINNs you say? What's the meaning of this? Who's are they?"

"Unknown. They're not sending IFF signals."

"What?"

"Junius Seven, battle heat detected!" Bart announced the moment it came on his sensors. "Mobile suits! I've also got Bogey One on sensors! Green 25, Delta!"

"Them too?" Arthur blinked as Meyrin relayed it to the pilots.

"What's going on here?" Athrun spoke.

"I have no information." Meyrin answered. "Even so, this ship's mission to render assistance to the Joule Team is unchanged. Once you get battle equipment, launch immediately."

Her big sister came on the line immediately afterwards. "How long's it been since you've been in a real battle? Don't worry, Athrun Zala. All of us will watch your back."

He let out his irritation through his nose. "Don't say stupid things."

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, ikkimas!" Shinn's speedy ship barreled out of the central catapult.

"Ray za Burrel, ZAKU, hashin salu!" His checklist went off, and the catapult skids shot him and his Blaze wizard pack into the vacuum.

After linking up with her gunner pack, Luna slid her visor down. "Lunamaria Hawke, ZAKU, deruwayo!"

Athrun decided on the spare Blaze wizard, and it locked into place. "Course clear. Launch when ready." Meyrin confirmed.

"Athrun Zala, deru!"

The bridge doors opened to admit ORB's representative. "They're using GINNs, those insurgents?" The Chairman asked.

"Hai."

"But why would they fight us?" Arthur pondered. "Is Junius Seven's orbit change caused by these guys?"

"Eh?" Cagalli grunted in surprise.

"Just what kind of fool would do that?"

"Princess…." Durandal motioned for her to take a seat.

"A…Ah…." She floated into a chair in front of the map table. "What was that conversation about?"

"Exactly what you heard. The situation has become much worse than we assumed." From the Joule teams' battleships, weapons packs were catapulted out of the bay, before the commander himself shot from the ship in his custom blue Slash ZAKU Phantom. "Though their intent is unknown, it's an unavoidable situation. We need to contact Bogey One somehow. Can we do it?"

"Uh… maybe…." Meyrin turned to the chairman. "We can try the universal emergency channel, but if they're not listening, they won't get it. I'm sorry I can't do more."

"It's fine, we'll go with that. Inform them of our plans to destroy Junius Seven in an effort to keep it from falling to Earth."

"Hai."

The weapons packs burst apart, sending beam rifles to the GuAIZ teams. One such unit caught one and whirled around firing into the GINN formation. The lead one pulled out its sword, raising its shield to deflect the blast. With a hard swing, the attack bit into the armor, and the GuAIZ pilot screamed before the machine blew.

Dearka's ZAKU forced back the safety on the on his buster cannon and let loose a devastating blast, totaling an asteroid one enemy was using for cover. "Just who do these bastards hail for? They've mastered those GINNs inside and out!"

Yzak's ZAKU came forward rifle blazing, forcing one of the enemies away from a Meteor Breaker team. "Work crews continue with demolition! The rest of you defend them! We're running low on time!" He pulled back before a GINN fired at him. His reciprocation pierced the cockpit. Three new signatures blared on their screens, the Gundams stolen from Armory One.

"Don't joke around! What the hell are you doing in a place like this?" Sting snarled as he maxed his throttle.

"So it's your fault, making this thing move!" Auel yelled.

Chaos switched to mobile armor form, launching its pods while Gaia shot its weapons into one of the GINNs. Sting's attention turned to the GuAIZ, as a distracted suit was caught in the back. Abyss fired all its weapons into a Breaker, destroying everything, including the three mobile suits escorting it.

The reinforcements from Minerva finally reached the battlefield. "Tch, it's them again!" Shinn hissed, boosting forward.

"Those three units are going down for sure!" Luna snarled, itching for the battle that she never got to participate in the first time.

Athrun chastised them both. "Battle isn't our current objective!"

"I know that, but if they're attacking us, we've got to shoot back! If we don't take them out, then we won't get any work done!" Athrun grunted, realizing the validity of her statement.

"Eeeeyyy!" Shinn fired his rifle, Abyss quickly moving its shield into place.

"Oopsy!" He smiled, turning back around, letting his shoulder cannons fly. Impulse slid out of the way, sending a shot across its side, rolling just in time to avoid a core cannon shot.

It became a catfight as Luna and Stellar spun around each other, trying to make a hit. "Eeeey!" Stellar cried as Luna yanked out her beam axe. The black Gundam was too fast however, and her leg was sliced off. However she did manage to slice in half Stellar's beam rifle.

Another Breaker unit was under attack. Athrun slid between them and the enemy, destroying the GINNs main camera with an expert shot, a leg next on the list. He looked to the side as two more came at him full burn. His training in Justice returned as he flipped over the beams, firing the entire time. He turned away from one that came within inches and pulled an impossible shot from behind the back that totaled one beam rifle. The second GINN's main camera was next, and it retreated. As the first GINN switched to its sword, its arm was suddenly detached from its body. Now weaponless, it retreated.

Chaos came in on another Breaker formation. "KUSO!" Athrun turned around and began to unload.

"Uh?" Sting shrugged as he released his pods. The ZAKU barrel rolled around one attack, and swinging around the back caught another with his rifle.

In the midst of the explosion he came up to the enemy, gripping his beam rifle arm. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Chaos raised its head and fired its machine guns. The ZAKU balled its fist and slammed it into the chest, and repelling away. "Just who is this guy? He's strong!"

The entire world watched the sky, praying for a miracle. As the orphans played on ignorant to the situation, Kira's mother and the reverend who ran the orphanage listened to the latest press release. Outside, Kira looked blankly towards his beloved and confidant, hearing the news just fine from the chair he was sitting in.

Two Breakers drilled into the wreckage of Junius Seven, detonating in large explosions when they reached a certain depth. The leader of the rebels twitched. "Kuso! I won't let you do it! It will survive!"

"Eehh!" Dearka grunted at the new contact. His red and blue blast tore into the GINN's leg. The Breaker that Ray was escorting dug into the ground. With a flash of light, the wreck began to fissure, splitting the creation into two parts. The heavier piece slowed down as the smaller one continued on its course. "GREAT! We did it!"

"But it's not over yet!" Athrun spoke quickly, pushing his thrusters to the limit. "It still needs to break into smaller pieces!"

"A…Athrun?!" Dearka gasped.

"You prick!" Yzak growled. "Just why the hell are you out here?"

"Does that even matter right now?"

"Tch." His attitude changed with a small smile.

"The mission comes first!"

"… Ah!" Dearka agreed, still in disbelief.

"Knew that already, duh!"

Dearka grabbed the nearest Breaker and the others formed up on him. "You're the same as ever, Yzak."

"You should talk!"

Dearka cracked his neck. "Here we go again."

The remaining GINNs began a frontal assault. The commander and former commander broke formation, their beams crisscrossing in space as they played chicken with one another. Athrun's pinpoint shot destroyed a beam rifle. Distracted by the explosion, the GINN never saw Yzak come in with his beam halberd, slicing off both his sword arm and leg before pulling back to avoid the other enemy. His beam spray cannons spun up on his shoulders, forcing the opponent to pull up, to where Dearka's aim was waiting, his beam cannon piercing into and through the mobile suit.

"Those ones!" Auel grunted, firing three of its beams at them as they moved again. Shinn dove after him as fast as he could.

"Yzak!" Athrun yelled.

"Shut up!" Beam rifle and spray cannons met Abyss's shield. Yzak pulled in close. "Or did you forget that I'm the commander now! Don't give orders, you fucking civilian!" His hard halberd swipe slashed Auel's melee weapon in half, as Athrun came up from behind, tearing into his leg.

"Auel!" Sting came in for backup. Athrun was the first to see him, going to full attack speed, forcing him to raise his shield. Within seconds he was missing half his shield as the Slash Phantom… well… slashed. Athrun hurled his beam axe at the enemy, cutting through the beam rifle with ease.

"Incredible." Shinn stared wide eyed. "The Jachin Due surviving pilots, so this is their power?"

Bogey One shot up its retreat flares. The stolen Gundams turned and ran. Seeing it, Cagalli gasped. "Seems like they believed us." Durandal said, relieved.

"It would appear that way at first, but there may be more to it than that." Captain Gladys looked on, unblinking.

"More to it?"

"The altimeter."

"Haaah!" Cagalli realized what she was saying.

"If we continue to fall with Junius Seven, no ship will be able to escape the gravity well." Lunamaria's one-legged suit landed in the bay, herself panting heavily. "I sincerely apologize for this situation, but I must ask you to transfer to the Voltaire."

"Eh?" The chairman was, for once, confused.

"Minerva will continue to descend into the atmosphere, and continue the demolition effort using our main cannon for as long as possible."

"EEEEHH?!" Meyrin and Arthur both gasped. The severity of the statement was too much to bear. "C-Captain… that's…."

"I have no clue just how much we'll be able to do, but if there is something that we can do then we should."

"Talia, that's still…."

"Did you forget that I've been known as a very lucky woman?" She smiled. "Please leave it in my hands."

"I understand. Forgive me, Captain. Thank you."

"Not at all." She saluted. "Now then, you should get going, Gichou."

"In that case, Representative…." The man got up from his seat.

"Notify the Voltaire that the Chairman is coming aboard. Send the return signal to all mobile suits!" Talia turned to the blonde girl at the map table.

"I know you're worried about him, but you should have Minerva take care of it."

"Eh?" Cagalli blinked.

"He didn't tell you?" Durandal was taken aback. "Alex-kun requested to help with the operation. He's out there right now." The young man finished another breaker as the other suits began to pull out.

Cagalli's eyes widened. "Athrun!"

Durandal's shuttle left from the launch bay as quickly as possible. "Attention all hands!" Arthur's voice echoed. "Once we finish recovering the mobile suits, this ship will continue demolition using its main cannon while falling with it into the atmosphere."

"Eh?! That's suicide!" Luna gasped as she emerged from her MS.

The main bridge lowered into the battle bridge. "All crewmembers are to review their re-entry manuals and prepare to take action."

The smaller chunks of the massive hulk began to glow as the atmosphere began to appear. Shinn stared at it for a while, until he saw a lone ZAKU with a Breaker. "Just what the hell are you doing?" He spoke to Athrun. "We've been given the return order, haven't we? Did you get the notice?"

"Ah, I already know. Get back to the ship quickly!"

"You want to get blown up with this rock? Are you fine with that?!"

"Minerva's main weapon won't be as effective at destroying the target from the outside. If only I could start this one up…."

Impulse grabbed the other handle. "Why is a person like you a part of ORB?" The answer never came as a trio of GINNs came at them at full speed.

"GwwwwaaaaaaaaahhhH!"

"We won't let you do any more!"

"They're still alive?!" Shinn grunted. One of them fired its rifle, Athrun's shield deflecting one, as the other slammed into the ground, tipping the breaker over.

"This is the graveyard of my daughter! It must fall or else the world will never change!"

Impulse's beam saber sliced the man in half. "Daughter?!" Shinn gasped.

"What are they…" The ZAKU and a GINN clashed sword on shield.

The leader grunted with the strain. "Have you all forgotten what happened to the people whose lives were thrown away here?! Stop living in that dream world, where the butchers who caused it all laugh, you fucking bastards!" Both Athrun and Shinn were too stunned to speak. "Too many times the Clynes' successors deceived us! They've made ZAFT weak and corrupt!" They broke away from each other. "Why won't you realize it?!" He slammed his sword into the ZAKU's shield, making the armor ring. "The Coordinators true path lies with the choices Patrick Zala had chosen for the world!"

"EH?!" Athrun's chest thumped in pain, remembering the man that ordered GENESIS to fire on the Earth, devastating the atmosphere. He was too shocked to move as the GINN extracted its sword and sliced up his axe arm.

"Uh…aah…" Shinn came to his senses, trying to help his comrade, but another GINN intercepted him. With a quick boost, he was behind the enemy that took a swing at him, removing his sword arm.

In desperation, the GINN clamped its legs around Impulse. "Teeehhh!" The pilot cried before detonating his suit.

"Gyaaaaahhhh!" Impulse fell away.

"Shinn!" Athrun finally came out of his stupor, as the GINN's head flew towards the Breaker. Hitting it was just what it needed to start up.

"Re-entry sequence, phase two!" The ship's wings folded in as the heat began to increase.

Kira stood on the beach in the night, staring at the massive chunk of rock and metal as it fell. His jaw dropped, trembling.

In the red-hot atmosphere, the GINN still continued to come. "The Naturals will feel our sorrow this time for sure!" Athrun turned tail and ran, but the GINN grabbed onto his leg and wouldn't let go. Shinn came in from above, slicing off the leg just above the knee, kicking the GINN away, just before dropping the saber and pulling Athrun away. "Gaaaaaaaahhh!" His GINN slammed into the wreckage, the explosion causing it to fissure even more.

Alarms were blaring on all of Shinn's systems. The hydraulic joints in the ZAKU's hand began to melt, and it's hand slipped out of Impulse's. "Ah!" Athrun was pulled towards the Earth, quickly followed by Impulse.

"Tannhauser, take aim. Target the structure off our starboard bow!" The ship's positron cannon emerged from its internal housing and began charging. "TEI!" At a key point in the rock, the beam hit, sending a large chunk flying off.

Impulse turned around, putting his shield forward. Athrun tried to hide behind his shoulder shield, but the Phantom pack wasn't so lucky, as a piece of it flew off, intercepting a small piece of the colony and exploding. The Minerva fired again, cutting another swath into the rock. "Phase Three has automatically activated!" Arthur and the others were shaken as they lost all visual and audio communications.

In the skies above the planet, glowing rocks painted it a blood red color. "Haro, Haro! Tyandei!"

"Torii!"

Inside Kira and Lacus's bunker, the entire orphanage sat in the most armored room, a small earthquake shaking the facility. "It's all right." Lacus cuddled one. "Everything will be all right."

To calm the sobbing children she began to sing a lullaby she had written. If she had seen the chaos outside, it would have been incredibly morbid. A large chunk tore into the Louver. Nothing remained of Athens when the strike hit the mountain and expanded from there. In China, the rice fields were ruined as shockwave after shockwave devastated the fields. One meteor slammed into and through the Great Wall. Desert landscapes were changed forever. Entire cities were wiped off the map. Anyone on the coasts were doomed, as massive tidal waves washed ashore miles in.

"Woa… this is really incredible!" Auel watched from the ship's observation deck with the others.

"Damn it!" Sting pounded his fist into the sill.

Stellar gripped her sides, quivering. "They're dying… everything is dying?!"

"Unfold wings!" Talia ordered as the ship began to decelerate.

"Wings unfolding. Switching to atmospheric flight mode."

Shinn grabbed what was left of the ZAKU and descended through a cloud, landing roughly behind one of the cannons. "Impulse, ZAKU, landed." Meyrin confirmed. In the gray, churned up seas, the ZAFT goddess of war skidded to a stop, sending up a spray miles high.

"Rome, Shanghai, Gobe Desert, Quebec, Philadelphia, and most of the Northern Atlantic." Durandal stood at the window of his office in PLANT, as his mysterious guest played with one of his chess pieces. "I'm afraid to see the numbers when the death toll stops climbing. Such a horrific tragedy." The female figure said nothing as she sat there, pondering his statement. "But I fear the worst may still have not arrived." He drew his lips tight in mild frustration.

"Two degrees to starboard. Reducing speed by 20 percent." The docking klaxon rang as the damaged and burnt Minerva coasted into ORB's main port of Onogoro.

Athrun could only watch as Cagalli paced impatiently on the bridge. 'Even when two people are dealing with the same situation, they may wind up interpreting it differently.' He was left deep in thought. 'But in the end they care more about the results than the process that gets them there. And since that is so, we'll be involved in yet another crisis.' An overjoyed blue-haired man, one of the flies that pestered her at the start of the trip, threw his arms around Cagalli as they disembarked. 'A good plant can't emerge from a bad seed. But most people don't think that's true.' After taking a nice long shower to clear his head, Athrun hopped into his sleek black convertible with the lesseps license plate, and hit the road like he was a bat out of hell.

As Athrun slapped his hand on the stickshift, Cagalli's hand slapped hard onto the assembly table. "What was that?! The Atlantic Federation has issued us a treaty to make us their allies?! And you're taking it?! Just what are you thinking, especially at a time like this?!"

"The times we're in is exactly why, Representative." Cagalli turned to the older man in irritation.

In his secluded room, the man who lead the country club meeting pressed a few keys. "Everyone, in a few moments, should receive something quite important to us. Phantom Pain sent us something rather interesting this time."

"These are… flare motors?" Pictures from the surface of Junius Seven appeared on the screen.

"Such a wonderful trump card, is it not? There won't be anyone left to forgive them after seeing these."

"This is…." Cagalli stared in disbelief at what the council showed her. "Where did these pictures come from?"

"Direct information from the Atlantic Federation. But, PLANT has basically acknowledged this to be the true occurrence." The blue-haired man spoke.

"Those bastards will be wiped out this time, for the preservation of our pure blue world." The overconfident man, speaking the phrase of Blue Cosmos, lifted a glass of wine to his screens.

As Athrun rounded the corner, he recognized a group on the shoreline. Grinding to a halt, he honked his horn at the children gathered around two teens he knew very well. Kira turned around. "Athrun?"

Within a few moments he was in the passenger seat, leaving the care of the orphans to Lacus. "Everyone probably knows by now just what happened to cause it to fall, right?"

"Umh." Kira nodded.

"One of the terrorists said something to me. 'Have you all forgotten what happened to the people whose lives were thrown away here?! Stop living in that dream world, where the butchers who caused it all laugh, you fucking bastards!'"

Hearing it took Kira aback, knowing just how bad that statement would hurt Athrun. "So you fought them?"

"Junius Seven demolition needed some help, so I went out, and they were waiting." He slowed down and parked at the edge of the cliffs where Kira and friends lived after the cottage was destroyed. Athrun didn't even look at the sunset. "That time back here in ORB, you remember it right? 'What should we really be fighting against, and how do we do it?'"

"Umh."

"At that you said, 'We'll look for that answer together.'"

"Umh."

The blue-haired teen gripped the steering wheel tightly. "But I still haven't found it. I'm heading to PLANT!"

"Uh?"

"I just can't leave things where they lay."

"Unh." Kira nodded once more.

As the Minerva was being repaired, Shinn leaned forward on the lookout, feeling numb, while his friends and crewmates of the same age exited the ship in their civilian clothes for some shore leave. Not really wanting to stare at that piece of ground anymore, he went inside, where he ran into Lunamaria. "Auda? Something wrong, Shinn?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Youlan and the others had left, and I thought you went with."

"Eh?" He barely was audible.

"Isn't it great they're letting us disembark? ORB is…"

"ORB is… I can't stand even looking at that country! Just what's so great about that hunk of shit?" He stomped away without even a second look at her.

"Eh?" Luna couldn't grasp what he was getting at at all.

At the Athha mansion, a hoverjet landed, Cagalli and Athrun waiting in the courtyard. "Sorry for leaving you at a time like this." He said.

"Nah, that's fine."

After pausing for a second he put his suitcase down and turned towards her. "The thing between Yuna Roma and yourself, I really do understand it. But that doesn't mean I have to show interest in it." He grabbed her wrist and pulled something from his pocket, sliding it onto the fourth finger of her left hand.

It was a platinum band with hand-carved scrolling, topped with a beautiful ruby. "Uh… EH?!" Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. Athrun couldn't look at the girl, blushing brightly. "Y…you…. No, um…. What kind of way to give a girl a ring is this?!"

"Well sorreee."

After a short process of his reaction, she smiled, a chuckle emerging from her mouth. "Be careful. Contact me, will you?"

"Cagalli too, keep at it." He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers. When they finished, he smiled and turned to the ship. As Athrun's ride took off, Cagalli stared at her ring, slowly tracing it with her fingers.

In the setting sun, a lone figure stepped onto a patch of the ORB coastline, wearing clothes he hadn't touched in years. Staring at the flower garden, Shinn's ears could only hear the sound of gunshots and explosions that riddled Astrays with death and destruction.

"_Tousan!" Shinn ran up to his father, his mother and little sister panting hard by his side._

"_Honey…" His mother spoke to the man in worry._

"_Don't worry, their targets will mostly be military facilities. Hurry, Shinn!"_

_The Calamity fired three of its beam weapons into the mobile suits on the mountainside. The party screeched as they hunkered down from the explosion. Calamity landed behind them, in its crablike mobile armor form, firing its cannons into the air. Freedom barreled around the attack and reciprocated with its beam rifle. Calamity jumped out of the way as the family continued to run. "Mayu! Keep going!"_

_The panting girl stumbled on a rock and her pink cell phone tumbled from her bag. "Ah! My cell!"_

_She stretched for it, but her mother's hand gripped her tightly. "Just leave it!"_

"_No!"_

_Shinn dropped his bag without a word and jumped after it, sliding down to the tree it was next to. As he grasped it, Calamity and Freedom clashed with all of their weapons at once. The explosion blew Shinn away hard, flinging him to the concrete of the harbor._

"Kgh!" Shinn squeezed the phone, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"_Help the injured!" A man in a military uniform ran up to him. "Are you okay?!" Shinn lifted himself into standing position, still in shock. "Follow me, hurry!"_

"_Hah!" He gasped, turning around. "Father… mother…? Mayu?" He looked up to where he was before… or what was left of it. He was blown so far down there was only a pit of rubble left. Looking down quickly, he saw something… his sister's hand next to a rock. "Ah! Mayu!" He ran towards her._

"_Oi!" The military man tried to stop him._

"_Huah!" Shinn gasped as he got closer. Mayu's dirty, bloody arm was attached to nothingness. Looking up, he saw the rest of her, lying back in a pool of her own blood, her bones shattered. To the right of her was his mother, cast onto a rock covered in blood, her limbs twisted into impossible positions. Higher up, he saw his father, a tree trunk crushing him, as his life ran down the cliff._

_Shinn fell to his knees in front of Mayu's severed arm. His voice wouldn't come to him. He reached for the hand, but clenched his fist before he got to it, gripping the earth next to it, tears pouring down his face. He didn't even take notice as two mobile suits stirred up a gust of wind. "You…." The military man reached for him._

_Shinn turned around, looking into the skies, his suffering turning to rage as he saw Freedom, Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden going at it in the skies. Clenching his sister's phone, he raised his head into the air. "HEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"_

Shinn shut his eyes tightly as he remembered that day, looking into the same skies that contained his hatred. "Hi. Mayu here!" His sister's voice emerged from the phone. "I'm really sorry, but I can't talk to you right now. I'll try to call you back, so leave your name after the beep. Buh bye!"

"_But, we did promise, right?"_ The line his sister spoke came to his ears again.

_A young boy ran his hand through his orange hair. "If only it would be like this forever."_

"_Huh?" The two Asuka siblings asked from their position, lying on the grassy hill._

"_It's just that this moment, right now, seems so perfect." He sighed. "I just want it to stay like this forever."_

"_Unh." The other two agreed, turning back to the sky, to watch the clouds go by._

"_But it won't, will it?" Mayu asked._

"_No, it won't." The citrus-haired boy closed his eyes. "The seasons will change, we'll grow up, and attempt to find purposes to our lives."_

"_Oh great, he's getting all philosophical again." Shinn rolled his eyes. "So, Adam Freud, here's some counter-logic for you. If you know that the perfect moments won't last, then enjoy them to the best of your abilities, while they last."_

"_I know, and I doubt I'll ever forget today, but," He turned to the two of them. "We'll always be together, right?" The others in the party blinked. "I mean, you know how much I was picked on when I was younger. You two are my only true friends, save one, and she's gone to study abroad. I want more perfect moments, like this, just the three of us."_

_Shinn closed his eyes and smiled. "What are you going on about, moron? Of course we'll be together."_

"_Yeah, that's right. We've got a bond that surpasses all. True friendship will always bring us back together!" Mayu balled her fists and nodded emphatically._

"_That sounded really cheesy, Mayu." Shinn raised an eyebrow._

"_I know, but it's all I've got. And I really mean it too. Let's swear to each other, right here that no matter what happens, we will always reunite, and create more perfect moments."_

_Adam whispered to Shinn. "She just got all weird and passionate all of a sudden."_

"_Must be a schoolgirl promise thing." He whispered back. "I've seen it all the time in Anime, just go with it."_

"_Okay then." Adam put his hand forward. "As best friends, in this place…."_

"_None loved less than another, we hereby swear..." Mayu's hand was next on the pile._

"_To definitely return to this place together…." Shinn added his hand._

"_So we can make even more perfect memories." They all spoke at once, adding their other hands to the mix._

_A breeze blew through as they sat there. They all blinked in turn. "Does anyone else think that was a bit much?" Adam asked._

"_Yeah, I think I may have just got diabetes." Shinn put down his hands._

"_I admit that went over my usual quota of cheesiness. Sorry guys." Mayu shrugged._

"_Hey! What are you three doing over there?" Shinn's mother waved to them as his dad set the plates on the picnic table. "The food's almost ready, come over and give us a hand, okay?"_

"_Be right there, okaa-san!" Mayu called back as she stood. "Demo, yakusokushitanda ne?" She tilted her head to the side and let out a small giggle._

Shinn gritted his teeth, staring at the exact same hill, an apparition of the group appearing there, and disappearing as quickly as it came. "Adam, I'm here…." He whispered. "I promised, and I'm here. Where are you?" He looked into the sunset as the tears flew from his eyes. "I promised! I'm here!" Nothing answered him. "Adam, I promised! I'm here!" His voice got louder. "WHERE ARE YOU?! COME BACK! ADAAAAAAAAMM!" He pounded his fist into the concrete, salty water darkening it in circular drops. "Damn it! Come back! You promised me!"

After a few moments to regain his composure, he stood up, taking a deep breath, and letting it out. When he looked to the side he saw another person, with a robotic green bird on his shoulder, looking at him, standing next to a plain stone slab. "Torii!" The creature took off as Shinn turned towards him fully. "Is that… a memorial?"

"Unh." The brown-haired teen nodded. "At least that's what it seems to be. I can't really be sure, since this is my first time here as well. I wanted to make an effort to come here." He looked towards the memorial. "The flowers finally bloomed, but they'll wither soon because of the tidal wave. It washed away most of the ground around here, and now the crashing waves will harm them."

"I guess that means that nature can't be fooled." Shinn spoke, staring at the cliffs. "No matter how beautiful the flowers become, humans will just blow them all away."

"You… are you…?"

From the side, carrying a small bouquet and singing a sad tune, a pink haired girl climbed up between them. Noticing the two boys, she stopped, observing them both. "Sorry about that." Shinn bowed quickly. "I said something strange." He turned to leave.

Kira stared after him as Lacus placed her flowers on the memorial and said a prayer. Afterwards she joined him. "That was?"

"I don't know. But there's something about him that's familiar."

"That's ridiculous!" Cagalli stood in her office as the representatives crowded the desk. "In this kind of situation, they're declaring war?! Just how could they do something that foolish?!"

"Even so, it's the truth. The Alliance, including Eurasia and the Atlantic Federation, has released a unified statement. Should PLANT refuse to meet their demands, they will be classified as a hostile enemy state and viewed a risk to the whole of humanity." Yuna Roma's father spoke to her without wavering. "The EAF also threatens to do whatever it takes to eliminate the threat, and that includes deadly force."

Cagalli stared at him, fear and disbelief etched onto her face.

In space, a massive fleet of EAF battleships drove forward. "44th battle group has completed launch of all machines. Foxtrot November. At this moment, we switch to operation phase six. EAF Daggers filled the emptiness of space with different weapons packs on their shoulders.

On the Minerva, Meyrin's voice echoed throughout the ship. "Condition Yellow announced! Condition Yellow announced! Ship security status is now at level B1. As of now, no outside personnel are allowed aboard ship. All security personnel to your stations."

"War outbreak?" Shinn sat up in his bed, reaching for his pants. "No way!"

As Athrun propelled himself out of the shuttle docked at the PLANT colony of Aprilius, a Nazca class on the intercept team launched a custom orange Blaze ZAKU Phantom from its bay, with multiple GINNs, GuAIZ, CGUEs, and ZAKUs lifting off from the other ships. "The first wave will enter firing range shortly. All weapons free." The pilot of the orange ZAKU narrowed his emerald green eyes.

The GINNs let loose their anti-ship missiles from their launchers. The battle had begun. Mobile suits on both sides began opening fire. A GuAIZ was cut into by a Dagger's beam shot, the explosion sending its head flying away. The revenge was short in coming as the Dagger was pierced through the cockpit.

"Sierra Antares One, launch standby." Yzak's Slash Zaku was dropped onto the catapult. "Launch system engage."

"So in the end it comes to this, just like I thought!" He grumbled. "Sierra Antares One here! Joule Team's Yzak Joule, deruzo!" His machine leaned forward as he pulled away.

"Dearka Elsman, ZAKU, hashin saru!" His machine was next out the gate.

A commander's CGUE took a disarming blow from the hand, as a squadron of GuAIZ teamed up against a squad of Daggers. One Dagger was quickly vanquished by a precision shot from the orange ZAKU. "Good piloting, but you won't live to get any better!" He closed in on a 100m class and fired his beam rifle at point blank range. As he broke off the enemy ship became a misshapen pink cloud and shrapnel.

"Someone get me the defense force commander! Where are they setting up the last line?" Durandal's office was abuzz with activity.

"All spaceports have been sealed off, sir."

"What about a warning signal?"

"The MPs should be prepared if panic breaks out."

"Even if we evacuated, there would be nowhere to go!" He spoke to them all, silencing their questions. "We must protect PLANT at all costs!"

Hidden behind an asteroid, a Reconnaissance GINN was scanning with everything it had. On the other side of the rock, another large EAF force vectored in from above. "Those are…." The pilot gasped as he zoomed in on the Daggers' equipment.

"Message from Polar Orbit patrol. A second force detected with… Mark V nuclear missiles!"

"Nukes?!"

"Gichou!" The word reached his office.

Yzak emptied his rifle into a Dagger. "A nuclear attack force? From Polar Orbit?"

"These are decoys! The real attack is from above!" Dearka changed course.

"Distance to target, 90!" The Daggers dove at high speed, while a squad of Nazca class, one with a bizarre looking equipment pack on it, deployed between them and PLANT.

"All systems, status nominal. Quantum fresnels, terminal one through five, begin multiple targeting coordinates. Operation time, seven seconds. Grid targeting underway."

"Now go! This time for sure, for the sake of our pure and blue world!" A Dagger pilot pulled the trigger, letting the nukes free. The others followed suit.

"Stampeder, irradiate!" The panels on the Nazca's equipment began to sing as they vibrated violently.

From the barrel came a bizarre form of energy, destroying all the fired nuclear weapons within seconds of destroying PLANT. It overtook the mobile suits, and kept going, straight for the ships they were launched from. "The first attack wave has been annihilated!"

"What?"

"That Nazca-class… it's equipment...!" He couldn't finish his sentence as the entire ship, including the spare nukes, was vanquished in an instant. As the council stared at the destruction, Durandal smiled in relief at the success.

"Uaah!" One of the orphans pointed at the sky as purple flashes of light cascaded across the sky.

"Those are…!" Lacus gripped her shawl tightly.

"The lights of nuclear explosions…." Kira gripped the concrete rail tightly as he remembered his fight with the insane men at the end of the first war.

"It can't be…" His girlfriend trembled.

After the battle had finished, ZAFT pushing the EAF back, Durandal finally had time to meet with a certain emerald-eyed teen. "Even though their attack wasn't unexpected, it was an incredible shock." He spoke to the boy frankly. "They forcefully declared war, and then immediately used nukes to attack us. I wouldn't even call this a war."

"Hai."

"The EAF has pulled back for now, but I doubt their plans are over. In comparison, our side has become a state of panic. We were able to defend ourselves, yes, but we still had nukes fired at us again." Athrun gripped his knees tightly, hissing.

"There wasn't even an alarm!" One man said. "Why didn't they do anything?!"

"Why didn't the Council do more to stop this from happening?!"

"Think of what would have happened if even ONE of those missiles hit us!"

Athrun was hesitant to speak, but he did so nonetheless. "What about PLANT's view? They attacked you, declared war upon you… PLANT… what is it's intention when it comes to dealing with this?" After a long pause, Durandal sighed, staring at the screens.

Panic was beginning to set in the streets. "I can't handle another war! Not again!"

"It can't be helped! They'll just attack us again if we don't do something!"

"We have no other choice but to fight!"

Finally having his answer formulated, the Chairman answered. "If we retaliate in reciprocation to their attack, then the world will again begin the endless waltz of war. We both realize that. It goes without saying that I wish to avoid that, but the situation is very grave. There's no denying that fact. Now realizing what we had kept from them, they're rising up in anger, saying 'I won't forgive them!'" Athrun winced. "Just what should we do here?" The boy bit his lip.

"Vengance!" A man cried.

"To protect us all… I'll fight!"

"If we wait to take action, it'll be too late!"

"There's no more time to take the diplomatic route!"

"But…" Athrun clenched his fists "But even so… I beg you, Gichou! Being blinded by anger and hatred, we can't fight each other like that! At this rate the world will be enveloped in a battle of meaningless sacrifice! I beg of you not to let that happen!" He once again returned to the Flashing Blades battle, where he lost Nicol, and almost his own life.

"Alex-kun…."

"I am… I am Athrun Zala!" His voice was weak with pain as he announced it, a feeling that the older man didn't expect. "Two years ago…the man who fanned the flames of war into an inferno and saturated the world with his poisonous hatred was my father! I believed in his words as the truth, fought for him, taking the enemy's lives away, and I even tried to kill my best friend! When I realized all the mistakes we had made, there was nothing I could do to stop him, and I lost everything! Yet even now his words… still linger!"

"Athrun…"

His shoulders trembled as his fists bit into his legs. "That tragedy must never be repeated again! Again…."

"ATHRUN!" It brought him back to his senses, suddenly realizing just how much of his own personal strife he shared in that one moment. He looked up, a bit calmer as the Chairman stood. "I already know what was said to you at Junius Seven by the culprits, from Shinn's report." The boy bent with the weight of the memories. "For you to hear that was beyond cruel."

"No, I disagree." His eyes trembled. "I'm glad I learned it. If I hadn't, I'd again not know anything."

"Iie, that's not true at all, Athrun. You don't have a reason to feel guilty because of their actions. I know that because of the circumstances, you can only think of Chairman Zala in a negative light. That can't really be helped, but was Chairman Zala originally that way?"

"No… he…." Athrun stared at his drink.

"Even the greatest of men can wind up making the greatest of mistakes. Statements they make can easily be misshapen and taken out of context by those who hear it. The listener will always interpret statements into what he or she wants to hear."

"Gichou…."

"The Junius Seven perpetrators lacked a pressure valve to vent their frustrations and anger, using Zala-gichou's words as an excuse. Saying 'We're not mistaken. Why? Because it's what Zala-gichou said, right?'" Athrun gasped, realizing the sense he made. "So please don't let something like this control your life. They were they. Zala-gichou was Chairman Zala. And you're you. Does it really matter that he was your father? Don't let yourself take the blame for something you don't condone. It has nothing to do with who you are, and everything with what you want to be."

"Gichou…." He stood up to meet him eye to eye.

"You're your own person, who came here with the greatest of missions, to stop a war that is about to happen. Since that's so, everything else is fine. The responsibility isn't yours to bear, so stop taking it on." Athrun looked away, speechless.

The crowds in PLANT were beginning to mob, creating anti-earth signs and parading in the streets. Then every broadcast was switched over to an eye-catching animated Haro. The picture switched to an even more eye-catching teenage girl with long bubblegum-pink hair. "Everyone!" She spoke, and they turned towards the monitors, even Athrun. "I am… Lacus Clyne."

"Ehh?" The blue-haired teen gasped at the screen.

"I beg of you to please calm down and listen to my words." The video zoomed out enough to show off her rather busty figure.

"Lacus Clyne?"

"It IS Lacus-sama!"

"Why is she speaking now?"

"This latest tragedy with Junius Seven, the EAF's declaration of war, and the sudden attack on our homes are all indeed severe, sad, and tragic. I sympathize with all your thoughts and feelings of shock and resentment to their nuclear strike. Even so, I beg of you to think it through clearly with a calm heart and mind!"

Athrun turned to the Chairman in disbelief. "If you want to laugh, go ahead." The older man said, smiling. "I know you'd be able to tell… the difference that is."

As she began to sing a calming tune, the crowds lowered their signs and weapons. "If Lacus Clyne says it…"

"True…."

"Yeah, we're not thinking."

"That girl's words are true."

"I… managed to hear her words at Jachin Due…."

"It's foolish, I admit…." The Chairman sighed. "But that girl's talents are very valuable to me right now. I'm in need of your talents as well."

"My… talents?"

"Could you come with me for a bit?" The taller man spread a large smile. Without waiting for an answer he walked out of the room.

They floated into a restricted area, landing on a platform. With a quick signal by the Chairman, the lights were turned on, to reveal a brand new gray mobile suit with the head of a Gundam. "This is…"

"'I want to entrust this machine to you.' What would your reaction be if I said that?"

"And just what are you implying with that? Do you want me to return to ZAFT?"

"Hmm… Not the way I'd put it. I simply want to give you the unit, as I stated. Of course, from the official point of view, it would be just like you said. My attitudes towards this incident are exactly what my 'Lacus Clyne' is saying. Even so, in this world, thoughts of opponents, humans, and organizations tend to get scrambled. It's not easy to get things to go in the direction you want them to. It's almost like bumper pool. If I can do it, I'd like to avoid the war. Even with that, I can't just sit around and wait for PLANT to be vanquished. If that happens, I think you need to be someone with strength backing him."

"Uh… Gichou…."

"I know this sounds rushed. The human heart can't decide things like this in an instant. However, what you can do, and what you want to do…." He pushed off and floated towards the door. "Those are things only you know the best."

Athrun had a lot on his mind as he entered his hotel lobby. Unbeknownst to him, a certain girl that everyone knew, and yet didn't know, was waiting for him. "Hey, hey, hey!" A little red ball spoke as it bounced on the table.

"Athrun!" He turned to the voice, and a flustered Lacus Clyne ran up to him, desperately trying to keep her skirt from falling off, throwing herself into him. "Welcome back. I've been waiting here for you."

"Eh?! Um… you… uh…."

"Mia… Mia Campbell." She whispered as she pulled to within inches of his nose. "But remember to call me Lacus whenever others are around." She winked at him as he looked at her in disbelief.

"Haaaah." He sighed as he walked around her. She would have nothing of it as she grabbed his free arm and yanked. "Gaaaahh!" He hopped on one leg as she continued to guide him.

"Say, you haven't had dinner yet, right?" She pressed his arm deep into her cleavage. "I'm guessing not. So let's get something to eat together!"

"Eh?! No, um…"

"Athrun is Lacus' fiance' after all, right?"

"Well, not since two years ago…." He muttered under his breath, resigned to his cruel fate.

"Let's see…" Mia opened up a menu as Athrun sat down. "Athrun, which do you like, the meat or the fish?" He just stared at her, not answering, studying her completely, comparing her to the memories of the real one he had cared for. Suddenly her head snapped up. "Ah! That's right!" She tried to look cute behind her menu. "You were watching my performance today, right?"

"Uh?"

"How'd I do? Did I do it right? Like her?" Her Haro opened its flaps in expectation too. Athrun only turned to the window. "Was it that bad?"

"Haro?" It sighed sadly.

"Uh… no. That's not the case at all."

"Heh? Seriously?!"

"Ah…." He stared at the night view of the city again. "You look like her twin, near identical. No one could tell from a simple glance."

She squeaked, her mouth opening wide. "Oh! That makes me glad! Thank God!" She began to squirm in her seat in enjoyment, and her Haro copied her every move. "Coming from Athrun, it means the world to me!"

"I understand! You understand! Thank you very much!"

She was the only happy one, as Athrun bit his lip before sighing, a bit guilty. Making it halfway through the meal was a bit difficult for him, but he managed. "You know, I…" The girl put down her silverware. "I've been Lacus-san's fan foreeeeeever! Singing her songs was always a favorite pastime of mine. That's when they started telling me I sounded like her. Then out of the blue, the Chairman called my house."

Athrun sighed again. "And the result is what I see before me?"

"Hai!" She nodded emphatically. "He said he wanted my strengths for PLANTs sake, so…."

Athrun's brow furrowed. "Your talents aren't what he needs, they're Lacus'." It was a stinging blow.

The girl suddenly lost her appetite. "That's probably true… but for now…." Athrun turned to her in surprise, figuring her to be totally deluded to the situation. "No, It's not for now alone, Lacus-san's talents are needed everywhere, for everyone, everywhen. Strong, beautiful, kind. Mia isn't really needed by anyone."

"You…." He stared at her in shock.

"Even so, as long as I'm here now it's fine! If I can help everyone and the Chairman for the absent Lacus-san, then that's perfectly alright with me! Athrun, I'm glad I got to meet you too!" He didn't react. "You know a lot about Lacus-san, right? Could you tell me more about her? What things she knows, what things she likes, what things she doesn't, what things she's good at, etcetera etcetera." He thought back to his own loved one and slammed his glass down, thinking back to the silhouette of the Gundam.

In the Council strategy meeting, everyone applauded as Durandal stood. "Then, by the unanimous vote of the Supreme Council, we hereby approve the plan submitted by the National Defense Committee."

In Earth orbit, drop pods began to set up, mobile suits attaching themselves to the inner latches before becoming enclosed. "The 12th Battlegroup's rendezvous point is now Ritardent Niner."

"Second squadron, finish your loading procedures immediately."

"However…." The Chairman spoke up again. "May I remind you that we are simply asserting our right to an aggressive self-defense. It is my sincerest wish that the weapons we wield will lead to the end of all conflict!"

"N… no way…." Cagalli read the decree.

"Asserting their right to aggressive self-defense, huh?" Yuna summed it up for her. "War is an untamed beast. Who knows what will happen when it's released. We will then sign the treaty with the Atlantic Federation."

"Ugha?!" She lifted her head up quickly, in total shock. The position of the others were solid. She couldn't stop them, and she knew it.

"Additionally, I believe we should begin to consider measures we should take to curtail citizen outrage or rioting at our next meeting. I'll introduce a draft law to the board for you to consider." He bowed.

"Time limit, huh?" A coffee loving man with a very colorful shirt and a tiger-headed cane walked over to an old-fashioned radio transmitter. "Minerva, are you receiving me? Time is running short. ZAFT will soon being their descent operation."

"It's coming through one of the older secret channels." Bart said to the captain as he played the message. "He's been doing this for a while now."

"When that happens, ORB won't have a choice but to move. The white chip stuck between two blacks will flip over to black itself. Leave before it's too late!"

The water was pumped into Minerva's dry dock. "Launch will proceed on schedule. All hands, submit your final check reports quickly." Meyrin announced as the golden-haired Representative got out of her vehicle and boarded the ship with security escort, wanting to speak to the Captain one last time. "Gunnery Team B, you're assigned to bank three. Condition Yellow announced. Pilots to the briefing room."

"The ZAFT defense operation, when's that starting?" Shinn asked his fellow pilot.

"How the hell would I know?" Luna was still a little bitter at his treatment of her the other day.

Cagalli rounded the corner and noticed the boy. "Uh?!"

"HAH! What the hell are you doing here?! Back then, the EAF had attacked ORB, and you're making them an ally?!" Shinn snarled as she looked away, suffering. "Can you people become any greater assholes?!"

"No… this…"

"If you're making ZAFT the enemy, I'll be the one to destroy ORB this time! This latrine of a country…" He once again slammed his shoulder into her as he passed. She could say nothing as he passed, the others rushing to follow.

"FCS, contact." Arthur spoke from his station. "Power bus, online. Gate released."

"Ahead slow." Talia ordered. "Minerva, begin launch!"

"Zenshin bisoku." Arthur echoed. "Minerva, hashin!" The goddess of war's engines came to life as the water rippled around the slowly departing ship. Cagalli was the only one to see them off.

In PLANT, Athrun gripped the Haumeiya life stone that the girl had given him years ago. It had saved his life many times, and he hoped it would guide him this time.

Yuna looked to the sunset as Cagalli sat in her office chair, numb. "It can't be helped, Cagalli. Ideals don't exist in politics, only reality." He knelt down next to her chair. "You tried your best. You were thrust into the Representative position, but you know everyone in ORB loves you."

"Yuna…."

"Because of that, you should relax a little. You know I'm here for you. I'll be your support, as your husband."

"Eh?!" His words sunk in quickly as the expression returned to her face, one of fear and surprise.

"Hai… I desire to make an appointment with Durandal-gichou." Athrun spoke into his hotel phone.

"Multiple heat sources ahead of the ship. Distance: 20!"

"Eh?" Both the captain and first officer turned to Burt's station.

"Acquiring match. This is… an entire fleet… EAF fleet! A moment…. An ORB fleet is approaching from the stern, spreading out across their boarder."

"Heh?!" Meyrin gasped, switching screens to check his readings.

The bridge was lowered into battle position. "All hands, this is Captain Talia Gladys speaking."

"Hurry with the final checks!" The chief mechanic ordered the scrambling jumpsuits.

"Currently, an Earth Forces fleet, including four carriers has been deployed dead ahead. And to our rear, an ORB fleet sits in wait, shutting their doors to us."

Luna screeched to a halt. "Four carriers? What are we, a super-ship?"

"ORB is behind us?!" Shinn joined her.

"The Earth forces most likely heard of our departure and set this net to trap us. ORB then turned the key and locked the door shut. Therefore we have no other choice but to break through the enemy ahead of us. This will most likely be the hardest battle you have ever faced, but it is imperative we break the line. Please be prideful in the fact that you are the Minerva's crew and will never give up until the very end!" Vino cringed at the situation, only to get stared down by his crewmates.

"Kuso!" Shinn raced for his cockpit as the carriers launched brand new Windam model mobile suits, the next generation of the Dagger.

"Catapult, energy nominal. Course clear." Shinn's machine was raised to the launch deck. "Core Splendor, launch! Go ahead."

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, ikkimas!" Within seconds he was barrel rolling out of the ship.

Ray's ZAKU stepped out of the gate and landed behind the Tristan on the port side. Lunamaria's unit slammed onto the starboard side, her beam cannon already primed for firing. Ahead of them, three of the escort ships shot their cannons, sending explosive pillars of water around the ship. "Isolde, launcher one! Numbers one through four, Parsifal… TEI!" Arthur ordered, as the port launchers ignited their missiles. The cannons shot their shells, the backlash sending a wave rippling from the ship. One of the shells hit its target, sending one of the speedier ships to a watery grave at sea. A Parsifal detonated on target, destroying the bridge of one of the ships.

In midair, Shinn unleashed beam blasts from his rifle, rending a hole into the chest of a Windam. Turning around, he slid past a reciprocation shot, shoving a blob of energy particles into another's cockpit. As mobile suits surrounded the ship, Ray and Luna shot their weapons at anything that moved. "Mobile suits, approaching from 3 o'clock high! Number: three!" Burt reported as fast as he got the reading.

"Evade! Portside 10 degrees!" Talia yelled.

"Eeehhhh!" Luna leaned forward as her cannon went off.

"Kgh!" Ray hissed as his mobile suit leaned forward, launching his missile pods and dispatching with two Daggers, a third releasing missiles from its flight pack before it too was destroyed.

The CIWS anti-air guns were left to take care of the missiles, however one got through the guard and hit the bow's armor plate, shaking the ship. "Gyah!" Meyrin was thrown across her terminal from the attack.

"Kgh!" Shinn hissed. "In a place like this…" He whipped out the beam saber from his shoulder, pulling up to a mobile suit before it could react, splitting it down the middle. "You really think you'll take me down?!"

From the fourth carrier at the back of the fleet, the launch deck opened up. "Zulu-01, lift up. B80 personnel, evacuate to the bunker after the machine has been guided out. Course clear. Launch when ready." A giant metallic creature was elevated to the deck, a big green cross between a beetle and a crab. Its huge verniers came to life, lifting it of the deck. Once clear it went forward at incredible speed.

"Unknown approaching!" Burt spoke quickly.

"Pulling up a visual!" Meyrin got the coordinates and switched the screens.

"What the hell is that?" Arthur gaped at it.

"Mobile armor?" The captain made a guess.

"Something that big?! It's larger than the escorts!"

"If that thing gets close to us, it's over! Arthur, Tannhauser active! Wipe it out with the fleet on that side with one shot!"

"Eeehh?!" Arthur stared at her in disbelief.

"Do you want us to sink?"

"Hai! Erm… iie!" He turned back to his controls. "Tannhauser active! Switching to linear controls!" The Minerva's positron cannon was lifted up out of its hatch, lighting up as the energy charged. "Target: Enemy Mobile Armor!"

"Energy signature of a positron cannon confirmed." One of the three pilots of the giant flying crab reported.

"Spread the Positron Reflector immediately! Adjust the reflection angle towards the enemy ship." The armor pitched forward, pointing its back spikes straight up. On the tips of those spikes glowed a purple energy that spread into an energy web in front of the ship.

"FIRE!" Arthur ordered, and the thick red and blue beam erupted from the ship, sending plasma explosions into the air as it went. It met the armor head on. The power pushed the enemy back, past the escorts it was trying to protect. They were disintegrated in the explosion that sent smoke billowing a mile high.

As the ship was showered with the spray, Luna, Ray, and Shinn looked on in amazement at the power of their own ship's cannon. However, when the smoke cleared, most of the fleet still remained, and the mobile armor floated in front of them all, almost laughing at them. "The Tannhauser… no way… it countered it?!" Shinn could hardly believe it.

"Turn 20 to port! Full speed! Tristans, target the enemy ships to port!" Talia barked orders as if unfazed.

"But, Captain, what about that thing out there?!"

"I'm open to suggestions!" She snapped at him. "Malik, I'm trusting you with evasion from hereon."

"Hai!"

Impulse's beam saber thrust forward as he dove for the mobile armor. "Teeeaaahhh!" The enemy pulled back quickly, evading the attack like it wasn't a huge megaton hulk of metal. "Just what is this thing?" He turned around and attempted another charge.

"Claws, unfold!" The giant crab now really looked like a crab, stretching out two large metal claws that began to glow red hot.

"Ah!" Shinn pulled backwards as fast as possible, attempting to evade the deadly weapons.

"But really, that's some amazing weapon…." A man in ORB's military command center commented, as Yuna Roma looked on at the battle.

"To think it actually defeated a positron cannon."

The door opened to admit Cagalli. "What are you doing?" She sneered at the other representative.

"Um? Cagalli?"

"Yuna… what is going on around here?" The entire base saluted her as she gasped. "Minerva is… fighting them? The EAF?"

"Correct. But outside ORB's boundaries."

Another Dagger released its missiles, one getting above the CIWS, slamming into the starboard catapult. "Tristan, TEI!" The twin green beams erupted from the port cannons. The mobile armor just deflected it.

Shinn took another shot that simply bounced off the beam shield. In an answer to it, the giant insect fired six beams at the Gundam. "What incredible power it's got! This is overkill!" His battery monitor began to put a warning beep.

"Impulse power, in the danger zone!" Meyrin also got the advisory.

"Seven o'clock, mobile suits, four!"

Luna turned around. "Ray!"

"Tch!" He hissed as he reloaded his rifle cartridge, quickly shooting at a Windam that released its missiles. Luna's beam cannon was unleashed, rending the enemy completely through.

"Minerva, closing in on our borders. They'll cross the line in two minutes."

"Issue an advisory." Yuna ordered the man. "And then fire some warning shots! Make sure they don't cross into our waters! If they continue, a direct attack is authorized!"

"You're going to block the Minerva from retreating into our territory?!" Cagalli gasped. "Then they won't have anywhere to run!"

"But that's ORB's rule. Even then, though we haven't made an official announcement as of yet, we're already going to sign the Atlantic Federation Treaty." She could only stare at him. "Because of that, I'm sure you know of the actions we need to take in this situation." As he spoke a Dagger hit the water hard, rolling into pieces, as the Isolde cannons let loose their payloads once again.

"Even so!"

Yuna whipped around. "This country isn't your toy!"

"Ah!" She was stunned by his curt tone.

"Enough of your sentimental hogwash! Knock if off!"

From the ORB fleet, a military man stared into his binoculars. "So we're becoming the allies with the people that once attacked us and destroy the ship that risked everything to rescue the world, huh?" He sighed as Shinn barreled away from the armor as it lanced two of its beam cannon blasts at Impulse. "I believe the word 'Ingrate' would be best used to describe someone such as that." Shinn tried to return fire, but the beam reflector once again negated the attack. Turning around, it fired back with four of its beam weapons. "But that word probably doesn't exist in politics. Send out the advisory! Aim for the waters directly in front of Minerva. You'd better not hit them even once!"

"Sir!"

"Commander, those aren't our orders." His second whispered to him.

"Like I care? I'm no politician." The ships projectile cannons fired, sending a spray of water onto the ZAFT ship, drawing gasps from all of the bridge crew.

"ORB is… serious?!" Shinn gasped, staring back at them. It was a mistake, as in that moment, the enemy mobile armor grabbed his leg with its red hot claw. "Hagh! Aw, shit!" He began to be dragged down by the hulk. "Gyaaaaaaahhh!" Impulse's power level flatlined at that very moment, and the phase shift armor disappeared. His leg was torn apart as he was swung towards the ocean. "Aaaaaaahhhh!"

"Shinn!" Meyrin peeped.

As alarms blared around him, his eyes rolled into his head. His families bloody remains ran through his mind. ORB was attacking him. The people that attacked his home were targeting his ship. He was about to die. "I can't… I can't be defeated here!" His eyes opened wide, and a small red shape, similar to that of a football, touched water in the back of his mind. It burst apart, firing off neurons that shown brightly with every color in existence. His mind became clear, as he lowered his brow, his eyes completely solidified in red. Without a second thought he pushed his thrusters as far as they would go. The legs of the mobile armor pointed down and fired all their weapons at him. He skidded out of the way just in time, sliding against the surface. He flipped around, diving towards his ship. "Minerva! Meyrin! Deuterion Beam, now!" Impulse rolled as the persistent enemy came upon his flank and fired again. "Also, Leg Flyer, Sword Silhouette, prep for launch!"

"Shinn…!" Meyrin gaped, not knowing what to say.

"Move it! Can you do it?"

"H-hai." She turned to the captain quickly.

"Do as he asks." The woman in command answered without her ever asking the question.

Impulse pulled up into the sky. "Deuterion Beam, irradiate!" From the port side, a thin wire of energy lanced at Impulse's forehead plate. The eyes flashed to life as the power gauge went back to full power. His blue, red, and white coloring returned with a vengeance as he turned around, whipping out his beam saber.

"TEI!" The mobile armor commander yelled. The beam cannons on the front legs erupted. Shinn dove into one of them full bore with his shield. As the defensive measure was blown away, the boy lifted up and came crashing down on top of the machine, slamming his saber into the cockpit. He bailed quickly, as the entire mobile armor began to destruct, one explosion sending it plummeting into the ocean.

Disengaging from his Force pack and damaged legs turned off his Phase Shift, as the new pair flew in to replace it. The Sword pack latched onto his shoulders, the plugin adjusting the power output into a red and white color scheme. "Ghhhrrrrrrr!" He snarled as he pulled out both his Excalibur swords. The entire fleet launched missiles at him, but Shinn boosted above them, landing on the bow of one of the ships. His weapons cut two swaths into the ship before he turned around, crashing the sword through the bridge. Impulse hit its booster again, taking off before the ship exploded, landing on another, plunging his weapon into an armament bay. The missiles inside were cut apart, igniting the explosives, sending multiple crewmembers to their deaths. His crusade continued in this pattern, as the crew of the Minerva looked on in awe. On the final battleship, one valiant machine cannon peppered his armor with bullets that didn't even make a dent. He turned towards it, like a demon enraged. "HaaaAAAAAHHH!" With one swipe he cut through the top half of the ship, taking the cannon with it. "KGH!" He turned towards the ORB fleet with hatred in his solid red eyes. The battle was over.

That night, the orphans in the mansion along the coastline got a very rude awakening. "Lacus!" Kira opened the door.

Outside, a shot was fired, and glass broke. Waltfeld had found an intruder and showed him out the hard way. Another enemy peppered the window with bullets in reciprocation. After the spray was over the former Desert Tiger returned fire.

"Try to keep away from the windows!" Murrue pulled out her own weapon as she escorted the civilians. "Get to the shelter as fast as you can!" She saw movement outside and quickly shot through the windows. The kids squealed in fear.

"It's okay." Lacus spoke to them softly. "Now, let's hurry!"

Confident enough that the danger had passed, Ramius took point, covering the hallway as they crossed. The door burst open and a man in body armor with a silenced machine gun rolled out. The woman fell back just before he let a round of bullets free. "Murrue-san!"

"Get moving!" She said quickly. As the enemy rounded the corner she timed her strike perfectly, swinging her left foot into his face. Twirling around, she shot him in the face twice.

"C'mon!" Kira picked up one of the children and turned him in the right direction.

Waltfeld was having no better a time of it, hunkering behind a bullet-proof table he was pinned to. He dashed out of the room with barely an inch to spare. Murrue covered the entrance to the shelter as the reverend began to unlock it. As the doors opened, Lacus stood up. "Now, let's hurry."

A night vision targeting scope put her ear in the crosshairs. Her Haro bounced inbetween her and her assailant. "I won't admit it! Ittabidakunai!" She caught it in her hands.

"Agh!" Kira gasped, seeing the silencer poking out of an air vent. "LACUS!" He dove for her as the shot was fired. The bullet landed in the wall, whizzing past Kira's ear as they both hit the floor. Both gun-toting members of their team turned towards the vent and emptied their clips. The man's head dropped to the metal, blood running down the wall.

Kira took Lacus's hand and yanked her into the shelter, Waltfelt and Ramius following soon after, pointing their weapons through the door until it closed completely. The access panel receded, an armored plate sealing it tight. The former Archangel captain fell to her knees, panting heavily. "You okay?" Waltfeld asked the teens.

"Hai." Kira answered quickly.

"They're all Coordinators." Murrue managed to get out between gasps.

"Ah. And they're not amateurs, either. They're pros, trained specifically for this mission."

"Kira…." Lacus approached her lover. "Commander Waltfeld, Murrue-san, they were aiming for me, weren't they?" Her eyes quivered in fear. Before anyone could say anything, an explosion rocked the shelter. Kira caught the girl quickly before she fell.

Outside, a clawed metal foot dug into the sand, it's twin-bladed hands clicked together, and the monocular camera slid into place at its lowest point, glowing in an unearthly purple light. Lowering its shoulders, the mech launched multiple missiles from its twin batteries, destroying an entire side of the building. Five of these green amphibious machines pointed their arm-mounted beam cannons at the structure and fired.

The crew went deeper into the shelter as the doors closed behind them, an explosion destroying the area they were in only moments before. "It's not that they were after you. They haven't stopped! Kuso!" Concentrated fire peppered the armor plating. "Lacus, you have the keys, right?"

"Hah!" She gasped, gripping her Haro tightly.

"We'll open the door. There's no choice now." Murrue looked away at his admission. "Or would you rather we all die here like this?"

"No! Of course not! But that's…."

"Lacus…." Kira looked into her eyes.

"Kira…" Her tears began to well.

"Ah!" The boy turned towards a giant door, as if what was behind it was calling to him, begging him to open it. "I'll take them." Kira said without looking away. "Then I'll open it instead."

"No, but this is…" She shook her head.

He turned towards her. "It's okay. I've come to terms with it, Lacus."

"Kira..."

He gripped her shoulders and drew her into him. "It would wound me much more if I wasn't able to protect you here and now."

"Kira…." She sobbed into his shoulder.

"So please… hand over the keys." She reluctantly opened her Haro, the keys lying inside.

On either side of the door, Waltfeld and Kira put them into the locks. "San, ni, ich!" They turned them at the same time and the door opened wide. Inside, the lights turned on, a gray and white mobile suit stood there, staring at Kira, its cockpit open, awaiting a pilot. The blank face beckoned to him, and he stepped forward. The doors closed behind him, leaving Lacus to stare at the cold metal as the rush of air blew her skirt back.

The lull was shortlived as an explosion went through the armor, and one of the purple eyes looked inside. "Okay, let's move!" The commander of the insurgents spoke.

The operating system of the unit turned on. It was a rebuilt ZAFT OS. As the bootup continued, seven words flashed across the screen. Generation, Unsubdued, Nuclear, Drive, Assault, Module, Complex. The interface came to life around Kira as he narrowed his gaze. Its yellow eyes flashed to life and he pressed a single button. As cabled detached from the suit, its white and black Phase Shift coated its frame. Pushing forward on the throttle, the thrusters came to life. He pressed down on a foot pedal, and the suit crouched, before leaping into the launch tunnel above him.

"The inside is much more vast than our intel provided. Morgan and Kranick will…." The commander's thought was stopped as the earth shook and his proximity alarm went off. From the hill behind them, a single green beam shot into the night sky, and from a cloud of dust emerged a mobile suit. "Huh? What the hell is that?"

The suit's vents released its hot, stale air and took in the night atmosphere. "That can't be… Freedom?!"

"EH?!"

The mobile suit of legend spread its eight azure wings, releasing all of its stale air in a shower of sparks. In Kira's violet eyes, a football of the same structure exploded, solidifying them. Freedom's thrusters went to full burn, whipping out his beam saber from his left hip. One of the enemy units lost a leg and both its arms with one swing. The clear-headed teen looked back as two more fired their beam gattling weapons. Sliding to the left, rolling to the right, none of the attacks hit him. Flipping upside down, he fired all five of his weapons at the enemies, disabling two more completely.

"Kgh!" Another turned towards him, firing desperately. With his beam saber drawn, he slid between the attacks, severing both of the enemy's claws. Going upside down again, Freedom's shoulder cannons burst, dismembering its remaining limbs.

Only the commander was left. "This is ridiculous! Kgh!" He fired all of his missiles at once. In an expert show of evasion, Freedom rolled past the smoke trails and brought his sword down. The enemy suit jumped backwards. "Haaaaaahhh!" The man let out a battlecry, engaging the beams attached to his claw and thrust it forward. Kira's shield forced the attack to slip high, and the boy lifted the suit over his shoulders, onto its back. "Gaah!"

Without saying a word, he pulled out his beam rifle as the insurgent got up. Before he could bring his weapon to bear, Freedom pierced the arm, blowing it up. Being a persistent bastard, he aimed with the other hand. That was blown up too. The missile batteries were next on Kira's list, followed by the legs. Only the torso remained as it fell back. Kira lowered his weapon. None of the enemies could harm him anymore.

"Khhh…" The enemy gripped a handle on the side of his cockpit and lifted. The machine detonated in a self-destruct.

"Eh?" Kira gasped, as the others followed suit, the mass suicide of the pilots destroying all evidence of their existence.

In PLANT, Athrun adjusted the collar of his military uniform. When he was done, Mia clasped her hands together in admiration. The boy smiled slightly at her hyjinx. Durandal approached. "This is for you." He held out a box with a white and gold pin in the shape of a wing.

"That's a FAITH…" The emerald-eyed teen looked up, unable to finish his sentence.

"I don't think you belong in the ordinary chain of command, and that would be problematic for you too. This should make things a little more convenient. As the name implies, FAITH requires you to pledge your loyalty. I only ask you to pledge your loyalty to your own convictions and beliefs."

"Gichou…."

"You're the kind of person that follows what he believes, won't give into simple intimidation, and will fight when need be, correct?"

"That's what I'd like to believe."

"If it's you, then you can do it. So use this power as you please whenever you need it." His tone rang with sincerity. "Not for ZAFT, PLANT, or anything else other than a world that can live in peace and harmony."

Athrun stared at the badge for a few moments, finally picking it up and holding it to his chest. "Hai!"

His machine began to boot up. 'Something massive has begun to move, but I can't tell if it's a good or bad thing. But, if there isn't anyone to stop it when the time comes, nothing will move forward.' The suit's green eyes flashed to life, and the Phase Shift armor coated its form in red for the very first time. 'Most likely, that's what it means to live.' "Athrun Zala, Savior, hashin saru!" The mobile suit took off in a blaze of engine light.

Talia sighed, the battle finally over. "Wow, what a performance, that Shinn!" Arthur spoke. "I've never heard of someone taking down nine enemy battleships before! Captain, I'd like to voice my vote to give him a decoration!"

"I second that one!"

"I third it!"

"Okay, okay!" The captain chuckled. "Everyone submit those to me later when we have time. Let's just be happy we got out of that alive."

Pilots and mechanics gathered around Impulse as the pilot was winched down. Vino gave him a giant hug. "Shinn!" Luna called out to him. "You were amazing out there today! Do you even know how many you got there?!"

"Nah, I wasn't keeping track."

"I'll pull the memory core later and check it out." Vino answered.

Ray stared at him from afar for a while, before smiling when they made eye contact.

Amidst the wreckage of their home, Freedom stood like a guardian, looking over the children that were released into the morning sunrise from their secret exit. "Kira…." Lacus sighed.

"Lacus…." He looked back at her from his seat.

"Torii!" His bird landed on his shoulder, cocking its head at him.

Athrun's brand new Gundam flew out of the docking bay, heading on a course for Earth.

In the wreckage of an old residential district of ORB, a foot scraped a loose stone against the concrete. The teenager it belonged to looked into the sunrise with his brown eyes, covered by his sunglasses. He ran his fingers through his bright orange hair as he took a deep breath of the morning air. Without saying a word, he slung his bag over his shoulder and began to walk.


	2. Chapter 2

Old Friends Anew: Destiny's True Beginning

Special Edition Part 2

Swords of Life / Swords of Chaos

In a very early morning meeting Cagalli yawned, irritated at having to get up for this 5 AM assembly. Yuna's boring voice didn't help the situation either. "As you know, many people are irritated at the EAF for their actions in the first war. This will undoubtedly be placed on us when we sign the treaty."

"Indeed, there are some very strong lingering feelings in the populace after the attack that claimed King Uzumi." His father backed him up. Cagalli winced at him using her father's name.

"To avoid riots and dangerous conflict I propose a simple solution that I think all of you will agree to."

"Out with it, Yuna." Cagalli placed her head on the table, her cheek lying on her arm. "You've been saying a whole lot of nothing this entire time. Get to the point, it's too early for word games."

"My apologies. My solution is this bill and its action. Extradite all Coordinator citizens."

"WHAT?!" The girl shot up, blowing her chair backwards. The rest of the council murmured at the announcement. "Are you insane?! Coordinators make up a quarter of our population! Why do we have to extradite them in the first place?!"

"It's because they're a quarter of the populace." The man smiled. "We can't risk a large scale riot and revolt that could severely damage ORB's economy or military. I've worked through the numbers. The damage that minority could do in a revolt would be far more of an impact on the economy than having them removed."

"But that's… to take it that far… there has to be a better way! To kick out all Coordinators…." The image of one red-eyed teen yelling at her came to Cagalli's mind.

"It would only be temporary, Cagalli. And it's not like we'll abandon them. We'll merely send them to one of the smaller islands we own. We'll set up shelter, food, and businesses. They'll be citizens in a separate island."

"That's not an extradition, that's an internment camp!"

"If you or any others at this table have another way to avert an uprising, I'm willing to hear it." Yuna shrugged. The rest of the table remained silent.

The blonde gritted her teeth and hissed. "You could always not sign the treaty."

The other members stared her down. Yuna just sighed and shook his head. "All jokes aside, anyone with a good idea? No? Well, Representative Athha, there you have it."

"Oumai!"

"Your duty is to prevent harm to as much of the populace as possible, correct? That's what it means to be the leader of a nation."

"Kgh!"

A teenage boy with orange hair reached the top of a hill. '"You never really appreciate something until it's gone." I now know the meaning of that saying very well. This ground, this country, this world, I've been gone from it too long. But time can change a lot of things. Will I like this world I know, yet don't know? Will it even like me? That's why I have to see, to find that exact answer.' In front of him lay an ocean view with the city dock just below it. "Looks like they rebuilt the city easily." He took a long breath of fresh air, looking into the skies from behind his shades. "I should call my friends up and see if they're still around somewhere." He whipped out a cell phone that matched his citrus-colored hair and started dialing through his address book as he turned to the road. He got a ring only when he reached one name: Mayu Asuka. "All right, Mayu's phone's working! I hope Shinn's okay too."

"Hi. Mayu here! I'm really sorry, but I can't talk to you right now. I'll try to call you back, so leave your name after the beep. Buh bye!" The voice-mail answered.

"Um, hey Mayu, it's me, Adam. You know, Adam Cancho, Shinn's friend? I was just calling my old cell to check up on my friends. If you can, call me back okay? Thanks." He hung up and sighed. "Just my luck. I get an answering machine." The boy went through the list, continuing to get disconnected numbers on the other lines. Only one number remained, designated by the code name ZRoyalPainZ. He hit the button.

Cagalli flopped on her bed in tears. "That bastard Yuna. How could I let him convince me? Now all ORB Coordinators are in danger." Her cell phone rang on the table in front of her. Sighing, she picked it up. "Representative Attha."

"Woah! It actually worked! And I get through to you of all people! How's the Royal Pain doing?"

"'Royal Pain?' I haven't heard that name in years. Who is this?"

"What, you don't remember me? I'm hurt. Nah, not really. It's me, Adam Cancho."

"C-Cancho…. CANCHO?!" She gasped as she sat up straight, feeling tears sting her eyes. "Adam, is that really you?! Y-you're alive?!"

"One sec, let me check." He pinched himself. "OW! Yep, still kicking."

She sniffed and wiped the liquid from her eyes. "But I thought your family was wiped out in the attack. I saw your house. It was completely leveled."

"Yeah, I just came from there. We had a bunker hidden under the house. I've been stuck there for… what is it, two years? So I decided it was time to come out and get some fresh air. I'm a bit out of date, could you fill me in? Please tell me that there's at least some good news. I've been waiting to hear some."

She chuckled at his personality, confirming it was really him. "One second."

Cagalli turned up the television, where the newscaster reported the latest. "Early this morning, in an impromptu meeting of ORB Parliament, a law was passed extraditing all Coordinators from the country, effective immediately. All such people not complying will be subject to the fullest extent of the law."

"SO SOON?! The 'effective immediately' clause wasn't in there before! Yuna! That bastard did this!" She screamed at the screen.

"Hello? Cagalli? You okay over there?" Adam's voice continued to come out of the speaker.

"This is bad! Parliament just passed a law that basically bans all Coordinators!"

"What the hell?! What's been going on since I've been under?"

"Well let's see…." Cagalli began counting off on her fingers. "The war ended and peace was signed at Junius Seven. Three new Gundams were stolen by an unknown group. What was left of Junius Seven crashed into Earth, the work of terrorists. Earth declared war on PLANT, and everyone forced me to hand ORB over to the Atlantic Alliance. More importantly, where are you?! Can you get back to your bunker? If anyone finds out you're a Coordinator, they might kill you!"

"NO!" Adam yelled into the receiver at full force. "I'm not going back there. I promised myself I'd bring back news that we'd be able to come out to the surface safely. I won't go back until then, and that's final!"

"Don't be an idiot! You'll be safer down there than in the open."

"I don't care! Cagalli, I snuck out. My parents wouldn't let me leave. If I go back, we'll never come out again, I just know it!"

"Adam! Dammit, fine. Where are you? I'll come to get you." Cagalli got up and put on her jacket.

"I'm on what used to be Route five. But what the hell are you going to do? Your father…."

"Is dead. I'm in charge now."

"I… I…." Adam went silent, stunned.

"It's okay. I'll pick you up, and we'll find a way to get you to a safe place. I'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up. "If I can save just this one…."

As the boy continued trudging down the road, kicking rocks and pouting, a police car drove up next to him. After a few moments, it went forward and blocked his path, two officers piling out and leveling weapons at him. 'Time. It changes much more than anyone could realize. I understood that well now, staring down two gun barrels, just for being a Coordinator.' He placed his hands on his head and walked up to the pistol-wielding officer, lifting his heel out of his left shoe.

Cagalli flew over Route five in an ORB military hoverjet. Scanning the view below her, she saw three people. "What the hell?!" She swooped in low, catching all three in the backwash as she landed. Hopping out, she saw the one in the center's orange mop. "Adam. Adam!" She began running towards him.

"Tch! Backup huh?" The one closest to Adam turned his head and weapon.

'This is bad!' The boy balled his fist and slugged the officer with a right cross. Everything moved in slow motion as the man tilted to the side. The shotgun toting officer behind him lined up a shot. Adam kicked his shoe at the man, the impact knocking the gun off course before it fired.

"Ah!" Cagalli halted as the sound of the first shot reached her ears. Adam dropped to the dirt and swung his leg hard into the already off-balance first officer. Swinging into a headstand he turned towards the second and kicked him hard in the cheek as he cocked the second shot.

The first officer got up and brought his pistol to bear. "Die Coordinator!"

"Agh!" Survival was the only thing left in the boy's mind as he grabbed the shotgun and pulled the trigger.

The second man hit the ground with a sickening crunch as the echo of the shot died down. The first officer's body fell backwards, blood pooling around his head. Adam panted heavily, his dark brown eyes in total shock. He brought the weapon up to eye level and his hands began to shake. He dropped it in disgust, making eye contact with the second officer. It was obvious he wouldn't be getting up, his head bend at an odd angle. He had been dead before he hit the ground, his neck broken by the kick.

"D-Dead!" Adam whispered as he fell to his knees. He fell silent as tears ran from his shocked eyes and joined the blood on the pavement.

"A-Adam… Adam!" Cagalli forced back her shock and horror and raced towards him. The boy made no move to recognize her voice. She panted as she stopped next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "You're alive! Thank god!"

"I… I…"

"Hey, take it easy. Try not to think about it too much."

"I… I… oh God, Cagalli! I killed them! They were going to shoot me and I… I just…." He collapsed forward onto her shoulder, letting all his tears flow. "I killed! I killed. I killed."

"Shh. It'll be okay. It'll be okay." She looked around at the scene while rubbing his back. 'He did all this? When did he get so strong?' After a few moments she let go of him and stood him up. "Okay, that's enough for now. These two will have to report in soon, so someone will be out searching for them before long. I'll take you away from all of this." The boy stood completely motionless, until a hand swiped across his cheek. "Snap out of it! This is no time for feeling sorry! In case you haven't noticed, this is a part of war, even if you aren't in the military! I thought you would have understood that by now. Now get moving!"

The hit woke him from his stupor and he nodded. Adam mounted the copilot's chair in the hovercraft. He looked back as the canopy closed. "Kgh!"

Cagalli inputted some coordinates and turned on the autopilot. She leaned back and sighed. "It's hard, the first kill I mean."

"Cagalli… you…?"

"Killed? Yeah, many times. During the first war I joined up with the Desert Dawn resistance and I even piloted a mobile suit in the last battle. But the first kill is very hard."

"Will the hurt ever go away?"

She shook her head. "Sometimes when I close my eyes, I still see his face. He was about your age."

"I had no idea. Thank you." He whispered.

A cliff opened a foux-rock hatch, and Cagalli expertly flew in. The princess landed the craft in a corner helipad. "We're here." She said as she took off her helmet and shook her hair out. The teen copied her motion before dismounting. "Keep that helmet with you, you'll need it." He tilted his head at her as she motioned for him to follow. They stopped in front of a massive fighter, its angles sharp on its gray finish. She patted its side. "This was your mother's dream realized."

"A jet? I thought my mom was developing mobile suits. Wait… don't tell me this…."

"This is the prototype M-3 Astray, code name Falcon. It comes fully equipped for both space and atmospheric travel. Vulcan cannons, beam sabers in each wing, a rear buster cannon, and in mobile suit form, there are sonic cutlasses, a beam rifle, and a positron shield. But the big thing is that is has Phase Shift armor."

"Uh!" Adam's eyes went wide, gasping at the admission.

"This is the Falcon Gundam. The only one of its kind so far. You'll find the flight suit on the seat. I'll wait until you get changed."

"Wait, what?! Flight suit? Am I taking this thing out for a test run or something?"

"No, I'm giving it to you. Currently, this model is too powerful for the intensity of battle we're facing. In the wrong hands, it would be disastrous. I know that ORB is not the right hands right now. Everything has gone out of my control here. The only person I trust right now is you. That's why I want you to have the Falcon."

"But Cagalli…"

"This world isn't safe for Coordinators right now." She looked away in shame. "This will protect you. There are coordinates uploaded to a place where you can be relatively safe, the ZAFT battleship Minerva."

"Cagalli… I don't know what to say."

"Thank you would work." She smiled.

"Yeah, okay, thank you."

Adam changed into a white and yellow flight suit and sealed on his helmet. He walked back to where the blonde Representative stood and saluted. After returning the salute she pulled out a small gunlike electronic device and handed it to him. After she took it, she spoke. "I want you to use that tazer on me."

"Eh?!"

"A raging Coordinator broke into this facility during my routine check on the Astray project. Attempting to disable him with a tazer, he managed to get it from me. The last thing I knew was waking up and Falcon was gone." She sighed. "That's what the story will be."

"I can't do that, Cagalli. I'll hurt you."

"Trust me, I've been through a lot worse. But you know this has to be done. So please, do it."

Adam sighed. He came up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She returned it, a tear running down her cheek. The boy backed away and pointed the weapon at her. "I'm sorry." He pulled the trigger and two nodes launched at her. Electricity coursed through her body for a few seconds. As she fell, the boy caught her, dragging her to a safe spot. The boy jumped into the cockpit and closed the hatch. "Brakes, check. Engine, started. Rudder, check. Stabilizers, check. Weapons, check. G-System, online." He steered the powerful ship into a runway of sorts, and the bay doors opened, giving him a perfect view of the sea. "Adam Cancho, Falcon, heading out!" He pushed the throttle slider forward and the jet ran out of runway. Adam quickly pulled up and went airborne. "Yahoo! Now this is the way to fly!" Falcon circled around the island once while the GPS located the Minerva. 'Cagalli… you saved me today. Don't give up, please. Forgive me, Mom, Dad. I had to do this, for all our sakes. Wait for me to return. I most definitely will!' The GPS beeped and found the Minerva's location. Adam hit the throttle and went towards it.

Kira sat on the shoulder of Freedom as it knelt on the cliff where the mansion used to be. He looked up into the sky as a large jet moved across his line of sight. "What is that?" The craft did a few stunts as it went out of sight beyond the mountains. He smiled softly. "I see."

"Kira." Lacus' soft voice rang out perfectly in the eighteen-year-old's ear from the ground. The boy swung himself down to her, grabbing every little jut in the metal surface with his hands and feet. He still had the smile on his face when he embraced her. "That's a nice smile, Kira. What's the occasion?" She traced his lips with her finger.

"New hope."

"Huh?" She tilted her head to the side as Kira looked up again. The massive jet barrel rolled as it shot out to sea directly above them. "I see. Is that so, Kira?"

"Ah, isn't this a perfect photo opportunity? How would you like your coffee this morning?" Waltfeld stopped a few feet behind them

"You know that Kira-kun doesn't drink coffee, Andrew." Ramius stopped next to him. "He gets all hyper."

"The one time you made me try some, I instantly went into Berserker mode." Kira turned around.

"I placed the call." The older woman sighed. "They'll all be here tonight."

"Ah. I suppose it was inevitable." Kira sighed and stared up into the sky. "There are some things worth protecting."

"_I want you to meet up with the Minerva. I have high hopes for that ship, just like the Archangel before it."_ Chairman Durandal's words echoed in Athrun's ears as he plotted a re-entry course.

'Cagalli, I'm sorry that I have to make you, my fiance' my enemy. I'll find a way to end this for good, so we can be together. Until then, please wait for me.'

The black haired, red-eyed ace Coordinator breathed heavily as he lowered his weapon, the simulator ending, showing his stats. "Damn it."

He took off his visor and earmuffs and shook his hair back into place. He returned all of his items to the armory sign-out closet. Ray entered. "Any luck, Shinn?" He said as he went to sign out his own equipment.

"No. My usual is all I get. I just can't seem to duplicate what happened in the battle with the EAF fleet."

"I see. Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll find out at some point." The long blonde inspected his weapon.

"Yeah, you're right." Shinn yawned. "I'm beat. I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me for lunch, okay?"

"Certainly." Ray stopped in mid-step, glancing at his roommate. "I had something to tell you, but I seem to have forgotten what it was."

"Ah, no matter. If it's important, you'll remember it or I'll find out about it from someone else." He waved it off and turned towards the door.

Adam yawned. "Wow, where did that come from?" With a quick input on the keyboard, he programmed the position of Minerva and let it fly itself. "I wonder what the catalog specs for this baby are. Knowing Mom, she'll have an owner's manual programmed into the OS." He brought down the keyboard and started running through the windows. "Deuterion Beam recharge system? Universal equipment adapters? I've never heard of any of this!" After a few minutes of reading, he yawned again. "Why can't they ever make this stuff entertaining, or at least funny?" After a few more minutes, he nodded off in his seat.

Nearly an hour later, Adam's proximity alarm blared. "What? What is that?!" A shadow covered his craft, and he looked up. "Oh crap!" A battleship was re-entering right on top of him. The jet banked hard to the right, trying to get away from the rapidly descending mass. "Come on, come on, come on!" The gray-blue battleship cut through the air. Falcon had cleared most other than its left wingtip. "I'm going to make it!" As he cleared the shadow, the battleship extended its wings further out to stabilize. It dropped on him like a stone. "Gyyyaaaaaaaahhh!!!" He cried, pressing the Phase Shift button, the only thing he could think of.

The two ships' wings collided just as the armor finished coating itself in a blue coloring with brown trim, and Falcon was sent into a diving tailspin. Adam tried every pilot control on his interface to get his craft under control as the battleship went past him. "This isn't working! I can't stabilize! I'll have to switch to mobile suit!" He hit the toggle as fast as he could.

The rear base of the craft opened up and two robotic legs extended from the cradle. The doors rotated into leg guards. The wings folded upwards and back, the cockpit receding into the belly of the ship. Two robotic arms extended from the hatches the wings had opened up. The Vulcan cannons in the nose retracted, and the entire nose flew off, revealing Falcon's brown head, complete with yellow eyes, and the standard Astray shaped forehead antennae. The nose split off into two parts and magnetically sealed themselves to the shoulders. On the left side slid out a blue shield with a gold four-point cross, and out of the right a beam rifle. The last point was that the wings split in half lengthwise. The golden eyes flashed to life.

Adam adjusted to his new orientation and used Falcon's thrusters to counter the spin. "Haaaaaaaahhh!" He cried as the spin stopped. Falcon flipped onto its back and all engines went to full power. It skidded on the water's surface until it rose into the sky. "Yes!" Adam put the Gundam into a vertical spin, then stopped it with a spread of his wings, ending in a classic aim of the rifle. He panted as he flew up to the battleship. "What was up with that? They didn't even warn me before dropping on my head!" He set the computer to attempt to identify it. "No data? So it's just a bogey." The boy sighed. "That evade really threw me off course. I'd better get back to traveling." Falcon reversed the transformation process as his Phase Shift armor shimmered back to gray. He flew away towards the Minerva once again.

Inside the battleship, the radar operator turned around. "Sir. Unidentified mobile suit at Indigo 55 high! Distance: 110!"

"Show me!" Colonel Roanoke turned to the main screen, and the viewer framed Falcon, transformed with its rifle pointed towards the camera. "Identify it!"

"Unknown. No similar models in the database." Alarms went off. "It's scanning us!"

Falcon turned away and reverted to its gray jet form and flew off. "Where's that suit headed?" Neo barked.

"Calculating trajectory… it's heading for our target sir! The Minerva!"

"So it was a scout ship?" Captain Lee asked rhetorically.

"All hands to battle stations! We can't let that suit warn the enemy of our presence. Engines to full throttle!"

Shinn groaned as Ray shook him. "Five more minutes. We're not going into battle. He mumbled before he fell asleep again.

"Shinn. Wake up. Lunch is in fifteen minutes." He tried again.

Shinn winced as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "All right, all right." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he placed his hand on his nightstand, bumping the pink cell phone he kept there.

Ray straightened as he noticed the movement. "I just remembered what I wanted to tell you."

"Well out with it already." Shinn stretched.

"That oddly colored phone of yours was ringing around seven this morning. I was tempted to answer it, but the voice mail took care of it."

"Eh?!" Shinn's head whipped towards the phone. "Ray, I hate to say this, but I need you to leave."

"I understand. A personal matter."

"Exactly. I may not be able to get to lunch. Doggie bag some for me please."

"I always do." Ray left quickly as Shinn snatched up the phone and opened it with all possible speed. It read: 1 MISSED CALL ADAM CANCHO. Once he read it he went completely rigid. "C-Cancho?!"

He quickly went through the voice-mail controls. "Um, hey Mayu, it's me, Adam. You know, Adam Cancho, Shinn's friend? I was just calling my old cell to check up on my friends. If you can, call me back okay? Thanks."

Shinn trembled as it dropped from his hands. Tears began to sting his eyes. "Cancho… Adam Cancho…." He smiled, looking at the ceiling. "He's alive! He's really alive!" The black-haired boy recalled his best friend's number and dialed it.

Adam's warning alarm went off. "What now?" His rear camera screen pulled up the battleship. "What the heck?" The monitor zoomed in on its two main Gotfried cannons, which moved to point towards it. "Oh hell no!" He pulled out of the autopilot and dove as four beams of green light erupted from the cannons, missing him by meters. "Okay, that settles it. This just isn't my day." He feigned getting hit and went into a tailspin. Adam turned on the Phase Shift armor as he switched to mobile suit form. The transformation completed and he spun upwards. "Woah!" He cried, putting the burners to max. Two Gotfried beams coated the air where he was only a second before. "Calling unknown battleship, hold your fire! I have made no offensive move against your ship, please call off your assault!" The only response was a barrage of four Warthog missiles. "I said hold your freaking fire!" He put all engines in reverse as he shot down one with his rifle and two with his Vulcans. The fourth impacted his shield.

As he evaded another beam attack, he weighed his options. 'There's no way I can take out something that big on my own, and in a ship I'm not used to.' Suddenly his cell phone rang. He looked at the ID as it slid into view as he shot another missile down: MAYU ASUKA. Against his better judgement, he flipped it open and tucked it between his shoulder and cheek. "Hey, Mayu. Glad to see you're still around, but I can't…."

"Adam! It… it's really you!" Shinn screamed into his ear.

"Shinn? Hey, buddy. What are you doing with Mayu's cell?"

"It's a long story. Where are you?"

"Well currently I'm flying solo in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, trying not to get shot down by this psycho battleship that won't even answer my hails, so I'm really busy right now. Can we talk after I shake this guy off?"

"The Pacific? That's…."

Adam stared at the ship as two hatches opened up in the bow. "Catapults? Crap, Shinn I gotta go. They're launching mobile suits at me!" He flipped the phone shut and let it drop to the floor. In the lull in the action, he quickly sealed his helmet back on and flipped the visor shut. "I hate it when they get all serious." Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos emerged. "Three? Do they think I'm some sort of ace pilot or something?" Once their colors changed to black, blue, and green respectively, Adam hissed. "Phase Shift? They're sending freaking Gundams at me? This is bad. I can't handle this alone!" Adam whirled around and put his engines to full burn.

"He's running." Auel smirked.

"Cowardly…." Stellar spoke flatly.

The boy boosted his signal. "Calling ZAFT battleship Minerva, this is a mayday. I'm under attack by unknown assailants. Requesting immediate assistance! I repeat, this is a mayday, I am under attack by an unmarked battleship and three mobile suits with Phase Shift armor. I won't be able to hold them off. I really need assist… agh!" Abyss flew into range and fired off its chest cannon. The red and blue beam launched at Falcon, which turned its shield to deflect the hit.

"Now it's my turn, strange Gundam!" Sting slid up next to him and drew a beam saber.

"Nani?!" Adam reversed and drew his own saber from a compartment in in his wing. "This is so not good odds!" He drove forward, preparing his sword for the strike.

The two machines clashed as their energy swords met. Both pilots gritted their teeth and strained against their controls. "Stellar!" Sting barked.

"HaaaaAAAHHH!" Gaia dropped down from above, beam saber swooping down for a strike.

"Shit!" Adam's vulcans forced Chaos back as he raised his shield above to counter Gaia. He rolled with the impact, throwing her to the side. Abyss's shoulder shields opened up. "The other one? There's gotta be something I can use to protect myself!" He searched through his screens with one hand. "That's it!"

"Eat this!" Auel sneered as he fired six midoric beams and his akashic blast at the enemy. Falcon's shield opened around the four-point star and began to shimmer. The central beam and one of the green ones hit the shield and deflected down into the ocean. "What the heck is that?!"

"Positron deflector shield. It takes a lot of power, but I have no choice but to use it." Adam switched back to his beam rifle, taking a shot at Auel, who slid his shoulder shield to block. Turning towards Sting, he fired again.

Chaos barrel rolled around the shots and disconnected its shoulder pods. The guns it housed opened up and started firing from different directions. "This guy is a lot more trouble that he's worth."

"Damn it, that one moves like a mobile armor!" Adam snarled as he tried to shoot the two targets, while still blocking with his shield, and keeping Abyss at bay. "Minerva, this is an emergency. I need help now! I've been given a mission to dock with your ship, and am currently under attack by unknown forces. Come on people, I'm up against Gundams here!"

"You're mine!" Auel flew in and leveled his oversized shoulder shields at him. Abyss fired two harpoon cables at him.

"Agh!" He gasped as his proximity alarm went off. He spun around between the cables, pulling out his saber and charging the suit. Chaos's pods fired in front of him, forcing him back. "This sucks. I'm really at a firepower disadvantage here." His alarm went off on both sides. "Behind?!"

"Reeaaaaaahhhh!" Stellar thrust her glowing sword forward, aiming towards Falcon's back.

"Hmph." Adam smirked as he hit a button on his side panel. His wings lifted slightly, revealing a cannon port. "TEI!" Adam hit the firing controls and an orange beam erupted from the Gundam's back.

"Nani?!" The girl cried as she put her shield in place just as the beam hit. "This guy…!"

"You're the weakest! I'll take you down!" Adam whirled around and fired his rifle as he jetted towards the black suit. "Haaaahhhh!" Stellar toggled the transformation into BaCOE form and returned the charge. "Ah!" Adam raised his shield. Gaia slammed into Falcon and flipped over him. She fired her shoulder cannons as he spun back into mobile armor form, tilting to the side as the beam scorched the base of his craft. "TEI!" He fired his cannon backwards, tearing into her beam rifle.

"Aaaahhhhh!!!" Stellar screamed as her weapon shorted.

"Why you!" Sting fired off some missiles from his shoulder packs.

"MINERVA, IS ANYONE EVEN LISTENING OVER THERE?!" Adam fired his Vulcans as he reversed, taking out five of them. "Gyaaaahhhhh!" He cried when he saw the remaining ones burst through the cloud.

A red and blue beam fired from below, through a low lying cloud, intersecting the three missiles. They exploded in front of him as Adam, Stellar, Sting, and Auel gasped. The cloud dispersed, revealing a large battleship floating on the water below. A red ZAKU Warrior was perched on top of it with a Gunner pack, its gun still smoking. A pink-haired girl appeared on Adam's communication screen. "This is the battleship Minerva. Identify yourself."

"Wow, cute." Meyrin raised an eyebrow and Adam coughed. "I mean, I am Adam Cancho, flying the Falcon. Boy am I glad to see you!"

Sting spat. "Tch! It's that ship again!"

"That thing… that guy… this time…." No one could follow Stellar's train of thought… if she ever had one.

"Well, I guess there's no use hiding it anymore. May as well go all out, right Sting?" Auel sighed.

"Yeah. No more games!" He leveled his rifle at Falcon.

"State your purpose. Why were you attempting to contact us?" Meyrin demanded authoritatively.

"I was sent by the Princess of ORB, Cagalli Yula Attha, and given this prototype unit to keep it from falling into the EAF's hands." His proximity alarm blared. "Woah!" He dived as Chaos's beam scorched the top of his left wing. "Can we talk about this after these guys stop shooting at me?! Geez, this isn't my day!"

Shinn laughed from his seat, docked at the top of the Central Catapult. "That's Adam for you. Sucker for the cuties, and the permanent jokester."

Meyrin's eyes and the captain's met. The woman in authority nodded and the girl turned back to her station. "Shinn, standby is lifted. Central Catapult cleared. Dozo!"

Shinn flipped his visor shut. "Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, ikkimas!" He hit the throttle and he was airborne.

"Ray unit, Blaze ZAKU Phantom cleared. Dozo!"

"Ray za Burrel, ZAKU, hashin saru!"

"Lunamaria, lifting off!" The red ZAKU launched from her position on Minerva and ascended.

Shinn took the lead as all of his parts went into the sky. Adam was clashing sword versus scythe with Abyss, before the enemy suit kicked him down and opened up his shields. "Oh no you don't!" Core Splendor fired three missiles into the Gundam as it passed.

"That one…" Stellar got a look at the ship. Then her proximity alarm went off. The red ZAKU fired off a shot at her, which the Gundam dodged quickly. The catfight began, as Lunamaria was just itching to get back at her for what she did in the Junius Seven debris field.

"Stellar! Auel!" Sting's own alarm rang as he slid to the right.

The white ZAKU missed Chaos with his shield charge. "Your opponent is me!"

"Yeah! The first rule of computers and combat, backup!" Adam would have been jumping out of his seat if he could.

"Adam! Don't just float there, you moron! Get out of the way and follow me!" Shinn called out as he passed in front of his old friend.

"Shinn? Is that you, Shinn?!"

"The one and only, now hurry up!" He pulled up vertically.

"Right behind you!" Adam pulled up as well. They paralleled each other. "You've sure got a dinky ship there."

"It's more than it looks. Check behind you." He pointed to the other three parts following him.

"What the heck is that stuff?"

"I'll show you. Initializing linkup system. Adam, veer off a bit."

"Roger." Shinn decreased speed as the jet's nose folded down and the wings folded in. Laser guides initialized on the Leg Flyer, and the two docked. The gray robotic legs extended out to their full length. "That thing is a mobile suit? Well I'll just have to show him myself." Adam toggled the switch to his transformation, his own set of legs folding out of their compartment.

"Looks like you're full of surprises today, Adam. Don't stall on me now!" Shinn accelerated as the next two laser markers in the Chest Flyer turned on. He docked with the section, and the arms extended, revealing the head. Falcon's wings slid backwards as the cockpit receded, the mobile suit's arms quickly filling the empty space. The nose cone popped off, revealing the head. The Silhouette Flyer's guidance pod detached and the laser markers guided the rest of it to the back, attaching the wings and beam sabers to Impulse. Adam's nose split in two and attached to his shoulders. The shield slid onto its left hand and rifle into the right. The wings split in two. Both of them went back to back and spun around once, opening their shields and pointing their rifles. "Impulse Gundam, pilot Shinn Asuka!"

"Falcon Gundam, pilot Adam Cancho!"

The two looked at each other's suits from the corners of their eyes. "Not bad Adam. Didn't explect to see you in a mobile suit, nevermind a Gundam."

"Heh, same goes to you. I missed you pal." Abyss fired all seven of its beam cannons at them. The two covered themselves with their shields as the energy beams bounced off them. "Let's save the reunion for later, shall we?"

"Got it. Break on three, ready?"

Adam nodded. They both said it at the same time. "Three!"

"Sir, we've got a heat source on radar!" The enemy battleship's radar officer turned towards the captain's chair. "It's the Minerva, sir!"

Both commanding men spat. "Well this eliminates our element of surprise." Neo bit his lip.

"I'm detecting two, no, three readings from the Minerva, ascending to the battle."

"Our pilots will be at a disadvantage now. What do you recommend, sir?" The captain asked the colonel. "Should we withdraw?"

"Not just yet. Considering they haven't launched any more forces, we can assume they don't have many pilots left. If we get rid of at least some of those pests now, they'll be at the disadvantage later. Engage the Minerva, and I'll go out to give our pilots a hand." He moved towards the elevator.

"Hai! Did you hear that down there, launch bay? Prepare Exas for launch!"

"Three!" Adam and Shinn kicked off from one another, just as another blast from Abyss came their way. Impulse engaged Abyss as Falcon dove to assist in the fight with Chaos.

Auel whipped out his short scythe and started going one on one with Impulse. "You know, you're a real pain in the ass!"

Shinn blocked it with his beam saber. "Kgh!" He punched his shield into the robot and the impact rippled in the air.

Electricity crackled around Auel as it started to float backwards. "What's with that shield of his? This happened last time too!"

"Haaaaahhh!" Shinn switched to his rifle and fired.

Abyss blocked and the beam disbursed. "I won't go down that easy!"

Stellar was favoring her damaged right side. With every correction she fired her shoulder cannons as Gaia and the Warrior circled each other. "Looks like the new kid roughed you up a bit. I'll finish the job!" Luna smirked, her ZAKU pulling out its beam axe. She charged.

Stellar squinted as she flipped her Gaia into mobile armor form. She stretched out its wingsabers. "You're mine!"

"Hah!" Luna gasped as she started to swing her shield to block. Gaia's right wingsaber sliced it in half. She swing her axe and countered the opposite wing.

Ray was defending with both his shields as Chaos launched a missile barrage at him. The two were at a stalemate as Adam fired from above, forcing Chaos to back off. "Hey white guy, need a hand?"

"Kuso! You again?" Sting hissed.

Adam hovered slightly ahead of the ZAKU. "I suppose any assistance is appreciated. Now move, you're in the line of fire."

Adam skitted away and huffed. "Great, I chose to help the stick-in-the-mud of the group. Oh well." He pulled out his beam saber and throttled forward, ignoring the beeps from his power screen.

Chaos switched into mobile armor form and launched its pods. As it reversed, Sting fired at the approaching Gundam with its main cannon. Falcon dodged one and blocked the other two with its special shield. Ray slid to the side and pulled out both of his boomerang axes and threw them at the enemy. Sting snarled as he slid between them, shaving off a bit of his armor in the process. In one of his corner sensors, he saw his ship's catapult open. "What the hell?"

A red ship with four cannons attached to it launched from the catapult. The person sitting behind the target was Neo. "Sting!"

"Commander?! What are you…."

"Sting, lend me your pods would you? If we can take even one of them out, it will be to our advantage later on."

"Right!" Sting linked his ship's computer to Neo's Exas. "Can you handle six pods?"

"Who do you think I am?" Neo smirked as all four of his pods broke away from the ship and opened its cannon ports. He drove for Falcon. "You should've never gotten into that mobile suit!"

An odd pressure went from the back of Ray's brain to the front. "This is…." He got a glimpse of Exas. "Look out!" He yelled as he kicked Falcon out of the way.

"What?" Adam snarled as he recovered. Exas's pods hurtled towards him and started firing. "This really sucks!" He said as he switched to his rifle, blocking shots with his shield. As he fired, all of the pods started moving in a seemingly random pattern. All of his shots were wasted. "Shit!"

"Break off! You can't handle him!" Ray said as he slid in front of Adam, blocking a beam shot. He spiraled around and fired a shot, clipping one pod. "He's more my tastes. Go for Chaos!"

"I got it!" Adam spoke as he flew off to find the green Gundam.

"I won't let you!" Neo took one of his pods and both of Chaos's and attacked Adam with them while the other three targeted Ray. "You don't think I can handle two targets at once White Boy? You're wrong!"

Arthur was barking orders to the weaponsmasters on Minerva. "Ports 1, 2, 5, and 6, load breaker charges. Tristan one, lock onto the enemy's portside. Tei!" The Minerva fired shots at the battleship, along with two beams of green energy.

"Evade!" Lee ordered. "Ports 1 and 2, fire countermeasures! Gotfrieds 1 and 2 target starboard! TEI!" The battleship slid to the side as the Tristan cannons missed. Twwo missiles launched from the ship and broke apart in midair, launching shrapnel into the barrage, detonating the missiles, leaving one to explode in the water next to the ship. Four beams erupted from the ship's main cannons.

Captain Gladys gave the next orders. "Kaihee! Hard to port! Anti-beam launchers 3 and 4, fire!" The massive battleship slid to the side as two explosions rippled in the air. The beams broke apart on them, doing no damage. Two others hit the sea, sending a wave crashing against the hull. "Arthur, make a smokescreen!"

"Hai! All ports, depth charges set to 10 meters. Target five meters away from the starboard side of the enemy ship. Fire!" The goddess fired eight missiles into the water ahead of the enemy. The exploded and shot water up high, blocking the view.

"Hard to port! They'll be attacking us from that screen! Gotfrieds, target the center!"

Gladys leaned forward. "Hard to starboard! Tristan 1 fire into the center of the screen. Tei! Isolde cannons and Tristan 2, target the edge of the screen." She sqinted as she waited. The tip of Bogey-1 emerged from the screen. "TEI!"

The captain of the other ship smiled as the Tristan beams cut into the water through the screen. "Prepare the counterattack. Aim the cannons into the center of the screen and fire once you see the ship. All missile ports at medium yield." They waited as they pulled aside of the screen, only to see the red tip of Minerva. "Starboard now!" He screramed. Minerva's projectile cannons went off and one of the shells came within a meter of the ship. The second Tristan cannon impacted the side of the ship, taking out Gotfried 1.

"That's a hit!" Arthur raised his fist into the air.

"Don't celebrate yet, she's still afloat!" The captain turned to Meyrin. "How are our pilots doing?"

"No weapons requests have been sent out as of yet. All of their power levels are fine."

"What of the new unit?"

"One moment." She brought Adam's stats to her screen. "His power is near the red line! Doesn't he notice?"

"The pilot's new, he couldn't know about the power limit! Hail him!"

"Hai!" Meyrin turned around. "Falcon, your power has become dangerously low, disengage! I repeat, disengage!"

Adam looked up into his communications screen. "Cute." His thought was ripped from him as his shield got hit by Chaos's cannons. "I mean I would if I could, but I'm trapped!" He fired wildly, trying to hit the pods.

Chaos pulled out a beam saber. "Your head is mine!" He charged.

Adam's power dipped down into the red and a long beep sounded. His phase shift shimmered off and his shield lost power. "What's going on?!" His alarm sounded and he instinctively pulled up. Chaos sliced Falcon's legs like they were butter and the pod cannons swooped in behind him, hitting the shield, blowing him into a pitfall towards the ocean. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Adam!" Shinn broke away from Abyss, who he was locked in sword-and-shield combat with, diving for the damaged Gundam. "I'm not gonna make it in time! Adam, pull up!"

All of Exas's cannons bore down on the Falcon. "Die plebe!"

Adam's mind was racing through what happened that day. "This is… this is… this is really starting to tick me off!" A brown football-shaped object fell in front of his eyes and exploded into billions of crystals of light and color. His eyes became solid brown. He turned his jets to maximum and flew away from the beams, towards the Minerva. He looked to the port side of the ship and typed quickly into his keyboard. "Minerva! I'm guessing that's a Deuterion Beam outfitted on your ship?"

The bridge crew gasped. "Y…yes it is."

"I need a recharge. Target my machine."

"Wh… what?"

"Don't question me right now. You're able to do this, right?"

"Um, yes…." Meyrin said after the captain nodded to her.

"Then light me up. Also, send me one of Shinn's Leg Flyer things afterwards. I need a new pair of pants."

"But the equipment is completely diff…."

"Just leave that to me. Hurry up with that beam!"

"Hai!" Adam flew the Falcon straight up and hovered in front of Minerva. "Deuterion Beam, shousha!" The thin energy struck the powerless Gundam in the forehead spikes, and they rippled with power as they transferred it to the main batteries. Falcon's power came back up to full and the phase shift armor kicked in again.

"Yes! Have the legs on standby!" Adam turned around and flew towards the action, right past the still-diving Impulse.

"Adam?" Shinn was stunned as he pulled out of his dive, only to get caught in the fight between Exas and Ray. "Aaaggghhh!" Since when was a mobile armor like this outfitted for atmospheric flight?!" He spun around with Ray and tried to shoot down the pods. Ray picked off one of them as six green beams impacted both their shields. Abyss entered the fray.

Lunamaria and Stellar grappled as Adam approached. "Red one, don't move!" Adam demanded.

"Huh?" Luna looked at his approaching mobile suit as it fired its Vulcans.

"Nani?!" Stellar cried as the shots hit her shield as she broke away. None of the bullets even came close to the ZAKU. Stellar whipped out her beam saber and charged. Adam pulled his from over his shoulder and dove at her with full speed. She swung too early and he slid past her ear.

He shot a glare at her as he turned around. "EAY!" In a blinding flash, the tip of Adam's sword cut a swath through her atmospheric booster. It exploded in a puff of smoke, sending her to the ocean with her weaker thrusters.

"Coitsu!"

"He's… acting like Shinn did!" Luna could only stare as he flew off.

"I've had about enough of this!" He went into jet mode and zoomed into the battle with Exas. "Shinn!"

"Adam? No! Stay away! These guys are way above your level! Besides, what can you do in that form?"

Adam didn't answer as he typed away on his keyboard like a man possessed. Both of the beam sabers flipped out from Falcon's wings. With a few more keystrokes, he straightened them out and aligned them with the wings. "How about this?!" Falcon went to full throttle. Exas targeted him with three pods and commenced firing. Adam maneuvered the plane into a barrel roll and pulled an Immelman turn, firing into the pod on his tail with his vulcans, forcing it to explode. "Next!" He banked hard as a green pod dropped down on him. Adam tilted to the side as it fired and he slashed it in half with its wingsaber. "That's two!"

Shinn's eyes quivered as he watched Adam take out another red pod with its rear cannon. "What… what is he?!" His alarm beeped.

"You don't have time to look away!" Auel snarled as he fired off one of his harpoons. Shinn dodged to the other side. "Moratta!" He launched the other.

"What?!" The harpoon pierced his rifle and exploded, the shockwave sending him flying. "Aaaggghhh!"

Adam hissed as his eyes turned to the action. He flipped his jet over and went towards them. "Knock it off! Minerva! Launch the legs!" The flyer flew out of the catapult.

Falcon opened its leg hatch and his damaged legs ejected from its housing. Adam established a computer link to the leg flyer. As he decelerated, he pulled up at the last second, pulling the legs under him, slamming it into the cradle, making sure the connectors held. With its new legs, Falcon transformed into its robotic self once again. Adam pulled out a beam saber and aimed for the Abyss as it got a bead on Impulse. "Damn it! No more!" He backhanded his saber into Abyss's arm. Adam pulled out his blaster and fired at the saber, the core rupturing and exploding, taking the arm with it.

"GAH!" Auel grunted before his alarms went off. In front of his screens was the face of an enraged Gundam. Adam slammed his foot hard into the core cannon, lifting both his fists into the air and slamming them down, sending the heavy weapons machine careening towards the water's surface.

"Auel!" Sting said as he watched the blue Gundam fall from the sky. Suddenly, his Gundam's left leg wasn't there anymore.

Ray's ZAKU caught his returning boomerang axe. "You should not have looked away."

"Just who are these guys?!" Neo sneered as he tried targeting Falcon. Adam hissed as he charged. Exas's beams met his shield with little resistance. With a horizontal swipe, Adam's final saber removed Exas's cannons from its main portion. "Nani? GAH!" The guns shorted, and the base of the craft started to billow smoke. "Everyone withdraw! Lee, I'm coming in hot!" He dove for the unmarked battleship with malfunctioning systems.

"All pilots, return to the ship." Meyrin called to the ZAFT pilots. "This battle's over."

"Hai." Adam turned towards the ship, his eyes still completely brown as he entered the docking bay behind Impulse. He shut down the engines and turned off the phase shift armor as he was wheeled into the bay.

Adam panted heavily out of relief as he removed his helmet. The hatch opened up and Shinn looked inside. "Dude, you okay?"

Adam opened his eyes, finally back to normal, and looked at his onboard clock. "Aw man!" He threw his hands into the air, startling Shinn back onto his butt, drawing everyone's attention. "I missed lunch!"

'Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was fate. I finally was back with my best friend, but at what cost? I knew so little, about everything.' Adam saluted the Captain as she finished his enlistment paperwork. 'But I was here, and I had time to learn.'

Lunamaria slung her arm over the lounge sofa and kicked back. "So I guess we should get on with the introductions. The name is Lunamaria Hawke, pilot of the red ZAKU Warrior. But you can call me Luna."

"Luna, red ZAKU, got it."

The long blonde leaned against the lockers and crossed his arms. "Ray za Burrel, pilot of the white ZAKU Phantom."

"Oh, you're that stick-in-the-mud pilot." Ray slid to the side from the comment as Luna stifled a chuckle. "Ray in the white ZAKU, got it."

"And of course, you know me." Shinn plopped down beside his best friend and chugged his soda. "Pilot of the Impulse Gundam."

Adam nodded as he cracked his own can. "Well it's good to meet you all, some of us for the second time." He elbowed Shinn. "Guess we'll be working together."

"I certainly hope that's not the end of the introductions." A voice said as two people entered.

"Oh, hey Youlan." Shinn lifted his can. "Youlan, meet Adam. Adam, meet Youlan. He's one of the main mechanics on Impulse."

Adam wasn't playing attention, his eyes locked on the mechanic's female companion. "Cute. Way cute." Shinn took another sip of his drink while he bopped the boy on the head. "Ow! Um, hi, nice to meet you, Youlan."

"Same to you."

"Getting acquainted with the new guy, Lumi?" Meyrin sat next to her sister and gave her a hug.

"'Lumi?'" Adam echoed.

"You call me that and you're dead where you stand! That's exclusively between Meyrin and myself."

"Oh, so your name's Meyrin? The name is even cute." Shinn bonked him on the head again. "OW! Sheesh! Anyway, it's good to meet you, you're that bridge bunny I talked to during the battle, right?"

Luna pulled her hand down her face. "Bad idea kiddo. She takes her job very seriously."

Meyrin's eyes burned in rage as she stood. "What did you call me?!" She was practically growing fangs. Shinn gulped as he slid away from his friend, counting down on his fingers, three… two… one… ze-. "Why you!" The girl jumped him, flipping them both over the sofa. The other spectators winced as they impacted the floor.

Meyrin sat on top of him, pinning him to the deck. "I take it back! I take it back! I didn't mean it!" She showed no signs of letting up and he sighed. "Look, I meant it as a compliment. A bridge bunny in my book is one that won't crack under pressure, and you handled yourself well from what I saw. It was a compliment, okay?"

She gritted her teeth as she whispered into his face. "Promise me you won't call me that ever again."

"Fine, I'll promise."

"Then in that case." She smiled her sweetest smile. "I forgive you."

"So cute!"

Youlan coughed and both turned their heads towards him. "Having fun you two?" To say they were in a compromising position would have been an understatement. Both of them blushed brightly as they split from each other.

Finally getting Adam alone, Shinn took him up to his special reflective spot, the top of the Deuterion Beam cannon. Adam fell back onto the metal and sighed. "It feels so nice to just look at the sky again."

"There you go again with that out-of-touch-with-the-world bit. Just what happened to you?"

Adam propped himself up on his elbows and began to recount the story.

Adam and his father passed the main control room of the Astray development project. "The Earth Alliance fleet? Why are they here?"

"What was that?!" Adam's father ran into the room.

"Oh, Cancho-san, look at the radar screen. There's got to be at least 20 battleships nearing ORB waters."

"That can't be!" His face turned ashen as he examined the readings. "Most of them are mobile suit carriers."

"Dad?" Adam didn't like his father's face one bit.

"Adam, let's get Mom, NOW!" He ran for the exit, roughly grabbing the boy in the process.

"Cancho-san! What are you talking about?!"

"Don't just stand there, you fool! Spread the word! Everyone needs to evacuate!"

"Dad, what is it?"

"An invasion. Come on!"

_After a short while we were pulling Mom from her desk and trying to get through the security gate as fast as possible. But word spread faster than we thought, and there was already a line._

After five minutes, his father was pacing. After ten, he threw his hands in the air. "Ah mou! We can't do anything just standing here! There has to be SOMETHING we can do!"

"Dad, here." Adam took out his citrus-colored cellphone. "If things are as bad as you say, we should try to warn as many people as possible, right?" He hit the number for one Mayu Asuka.

It rang three times before someone picked up. "Hello?"

"Mayu? It's me, Adam. Listen this is very im…."

"If it's about a date, it'll haveta wait."

"Date?! You think this is a joke, you little brat?!"

"Oh, so you really are asking me out, Adam?" Her grin was audible. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm too young for you."

"This isn't about some freakin' date! Listen Mayu, I need you to be serious here."

"You're no fun."

"Gah. Look, just take your family and get to the nearest evac ship. ORB is about to get invaded by the EAF!"

"Yeah, right. ORB is neutral, we won't get attacked."

"Mayu, I'm not joking around. There are at least twenty Earth Alliance battleships headed our way!"

"Yeah, sure. You're just trying to scare me. I'll tell Shinn you called. Bye now!" She hung up.

"Mayu!" Only silence emerged from the speaker. "Damn it."

_By the time we got out and to our neighborhood, we could see and hear the explosions in the distance._

"Damn it! I didn't think they'd start so soon!" His mother swore.

"Almost there." All three were relieved as they turned down their street.

It didn't last long as two large shadows passed over them. A pink beam hit the side of the hill above them. Adam's father looked up at the two human-shaped forms duking it out in the skies. "Mobile suits!"

One of the giant robots spread eight wings from its back. "No, not mobile suits, Gundams! That's Freedom!" Adam pointed at the suit.

"Get down!" His mother pushed him to the ground and covered him as another blast took out a house on their street. "We have to hurry before we're vaporized!"

Adam looked back as his parents dragged him. The turquoise Gundam in the air fired a beam weapon that hit another house. It turned its robotic head towards them. "Oh hell no!" The strange mobile suit fired another shot, this time aimed directly at them. Freedom dove down and intercepted the blow with its shield, but the force hurled it towards the running family. "Look out!"

_That's the last thing I remember about it. The next thing I knew, I was in the bunker, deep underground. I had a splitting headache and a bandage around my head. Mom and Dad were there too, a little dirty, but okay none-the-less. That's where I was until today, eating nothing but dehydrated, condensed, and hydroponically grown food._

Adam flopped onto his back again and put his hands behind his head. "It sure feels good, doesn't it? I never thought I could miss something so trivial as relaxing, looking at the sky."

"The sky?" Shinn looked up. "I guess it's peaceful for now, but when war comes into your skies, it burns a hole right through you."

"Hmm?" Adam blinked. "Anyway, it's your turn. What have you been up to after all this time? And where's that cute little sister of yours? I didn't see her running around the ship at all." Shinn stayed quiet. So quiet that Adam sat up again, only to see him flipping open and closed the pink cellphone. "Isn't that Mayu's cell? What are you doing with it?"

"Hi. Mayu here! I'm really sorry, but I can't talk to you right now. I'll try to call you back, so leave your name after the beep. Buh bye!"

A tear rolled down the boy's cheek. "It's all that's left." He whispered. Adam's eyes went wide as saucers, before turning away. "If Mayu had listened to you, she'd be alive. Mom and Dad… would be alive."

"Shinn… I'm…."

"Just drop it, okay? I can't take it right now."

"… Okay. Kuso." Adam whispered.

Adam put his head into his pillow, saying his goodnights to Shinn. As his friend pulled the covers over his head, Adam just stared. 'More victims. Mayu…. Mr. Asuka… Mrs. Asuka…. But no one was more hurt than Shinn. He wasn't the same as I remembered him. I was happy though, that I was still his friend, but I can't help but wonder… if I could have done more to prevent it all.' He closed his eyes in frustration, winding up falling asleep.

Adam sat up in bed like it was made of nails. He checked the time: 2300 hours. "Damned dream. Just how many more times do I have to see it?" He put his head against the pillow and fell asleep again. Little did he realize that the red-eyed Coordinator was observing him, clutching the phone in his right hand, awoken from his slumber by a nightmare of his own.

A new dawn brought forth the new day, and a new life was about to begin for ORB's Representative. It was her wedding day, and she was no where near happy as her wedding limo drove towards the chapel.

"But… is this really the right thing to do, I wonder." Murrue and Kira were riding an elevator deep down into the rocks.

"Eh. Because now, it's the only option we have left." As they stepped out, they caught a glimpse of a great white hulk. As Lacus hugged each of the orphans, he continued. "None of us understand if it's the correct way to go. But, we can't give up at this juncture, right?" The dock began to fill with water. "Knowing something isn't right is bad enough, but shutting up about it won't do either. We already know the chaos that would bring. That's exactly why we have to go, to keep that future from happening once again."

When the entire bay was filled, the hatch in front of the former EAF battleship split apart. "Restraining arms, detatch!" The captain ordered, and the engines came to life, slowly pushing the ship into the rocky tunnel. It accelerated as it cleared the dock. "Ascend! Archangel, hashin!" The legged ship broke the water's surface, sending a spray trail.

Kira finished his checks as his screens came to life. The launch checklist went off in four buzzes. "Kira Yamato, Freedom, ikkimas!"

Standing in front of the ambassador of Haumeia, Yuna smiled proudly as Cagalli stared off somewhere beyond her veil. "I now will ask you anew. Do you make your vows from the honesty within your hearts?"

"Hai." He spoke smoothly. As the reverend turned towards Cagalli, she said nothing. It was doubtful she had even heard the question.

"No good! HQ's forces can't intercept it in time!" The security guards sounded a whistle. "Evacuate everyone!"

The two on the podium turned around. "What's up? What's wrong?" Yuna looked around, hoping someone would answer him.

As people ran every which way, two Astrays that raised their rifles to the sky had their weapons disabled with pinpoint accuracy. Another two lost their arms as a white and black mobile suit with eight blue wings flew over the assembly. "Freedom?!" Cagalli gasped as she stared at the mobile suit.

The blue-haired man ducked behind her. "C-Cagalli…." As the chaos below them continued, someone accidentally knocked the boxes of doves over, setting them free as the mecha landed in front of the steps, reaching out its hands. "Guaaahhhh!!" Yuna ducked and ran off as fast as he could.

"Uh?" The cold metallic fingers gently wrapped around the girl in the wedding gown. As he lifted her off, she shot the main camera a look that would have killed the pilot. "The hell are you doing?! Kira!"

"Heh." He smiled from his cockpit, turning around and spreading his wings. As he took off, Yuna stared at the butt of the suit, whimpering. Using his shield to defend her from the wind, Kira joined the doves in the sky. He lifted her up to the cockpit as his seat emerged. "Now…." He took her hand and caught her, pulling them both back into the safety of the nuclear suit. "This is some dress you've got here."

"Shut it!" She snarled as she got off his lap.

"This is ORB military HQ. Freedom, please cooperate and land immediately! Freedom!" Two Murasame in mobile armor form came straight for him.

"Forgive me." He sighed, pulling his beam saber from his left hip. In a half second, their wings were taken off.

As ORB battleships surrounded the Archangel, a report reached the command vessel. "HQ communicay, sir! Freedom crashed the wedding and has taken Cagalli-sama. The situation is to be handled with extreme caution."

"Huh?" The man who watched the Minerva fight before answered.

"Cagalli-sama's been kidnapped?"

"By Freedom?"

"All ships, hold your fire! I repeat, hold your fire!"

They were helpless to do anything as Archangel opened its hatch to admit the suit. "Freedom, docking complete." Miriallia, finally back in her old seat, reported. "Cagalli-san is okay."

"Yosh! Just as planned!" Waltfeld turned in his co-pilot seat. "Well then, shall we hit the road, Captain?"

Ramius nodded. "Flood the vents! Archangel will now submerge." The ship began to move as it slowly sank into the ocean.

"Todoka-san! They're going under!"

"They're going to escape! Order the assault!"

The older man smiled. "'The situation is to be handled with extreme caution.' Right?" He straightened and brought his hand up in a salute as the rest of the ashitsuki disappeared below the waves. Joining him in the salute were his most loyal officers. 'It's up to you, Archangel. Cagalli-sama and this world's future are in your hands.' Archangel went to full underwater cruising mode, not to be seen again in ORB territory.

'I've done some stuff I'm not proud of. I'll be the first to admit it. But still… what the hell could I have possibly done to deserve this?! The yelling. The screaming. The exercise. The target practice. And now this….' Adam scrubbed the latrines with a sponge.

Shinn, to his own relief, didn't have to yell due to the echo. "Let's go, horse hockey, I want to see my face looking back at me in those toilets!"

Adam seethed as he scrubbed. "Why don't I just put a picture of your face on the lid? You sit on it anyway, so it'd be a perfect match."

"You say something, dumbass?!"

"Sir! No, sir!"

"Get moving on the urinals! I want them to shine like the tile next to them!"

"Sir! Do you mean for them to be flush with the wall, sir?!"

"Did I tell you to make jokes, septic tank?! If you have time to joke, then give the walls a shine too!"

Adam muttered to himself. "Geez. I bet this never happened to Kira Yamato."

Deep on the ocean floor, a sneeze echoed through the room of a battleship. Kira sat up and blew his nose. "I hate it when that happens."

"Are you coming down with a cold, Kira?" Lacus crouched down next to him, handing over her hankie.

"Nah. Someone's talking about me again." He rubbed his nose. "I sneezed almost nonstop after Jackin Due."

"Athrun was bedridden for a month and a half with sneezing fits." Cagalli said, leaning on the doorframe.

"Feeling better, Cagalli?" Lacus asked her.

"Yes, thanks to you two bakas. Just remind me to kill you if you mention that dress again."

Kira got a sly smile on his face. "Ja, can Lacus wear it when we get married?" That caught both girls off guard.

Lacus blushed and gave her boyfriend a diving hug. "Thanks, Lux. But this isn't the time. Could you pass me another sponge? This urinal is being a real pain today."

Adam slid the canopy down on his mobile suit's cockpit. As he booted up his system for his maintenance check, his communications line popped up. "So, Adam. How's your basic training going? I hear Shinn is giving you a workout." Meyrin giggled.

"Ugh, you have no idea. He's a total hardass, and he's been deliberately contradicting himself just to get on my nerves!"

"Welcome to the military."

"Ugh. Listen, do you have some disguises for undercover missions?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to ask a favor."

THUD! "Your movements are easy to read and unnecessary. Remember, in hand to hand combat in mobile suits will be the same, if not harder!" Shinn stared down at the boy on the sparring mat. "Now get up and fight!"

"Heeahhh!" Adam whirled around and crouched, attempting to dive for the boy on all fours. Shinn just dropped his foot into the center of the boy's back. "Guh!"

"Again!" Adam swung his body around, catching Shinn in the shin. He fell forward, slamming his elbow into the boy's gut. "Again!" Adam thrust his fist forward, and with three fingers, Shinn pushed it to the side and gave a wide, sweeping kick, sending him to the padded wall behind him. "This is ridiculous. If you can't even defend yourself against me, how did you manage to hold off three Gundams?! Hit the showers."

The two ventured into the locker room and went to their own separate isles. Adam took his time peeling his sweat-laden clothes off, and as soon as he heard Shinn's shower turn on, he put them all back on again. Grabbing the temporary drill sergeant's uniform, he exited. "You got the goods?"

"Yep, just as you wanted them." Meyrin stood there with a pile of clothes. "This should be good."

"You hide those." He said as he swapped the uniforms. Adam quickly slipped back into the locker room, gingerly placing the new articles on Shinn's seat. From the exit, he turned around. "Hey Shinn! Quit jacking off and hurry up!"

A few choice curses followed Adam out the door as he joined her on the wall. "You're cruel."

"Wait for it…."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAADAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMM!!!" Shin's voice echoed through three decks and scared off a pod of dolphins. The door slowly cracked open, a red eye glaring at the boy. "I'm so going to kill you."

"Then come out here and try it."

A barefooted Shinn stepped into the hall. Meyrin and Adam collapsed into each other in laughter. Shinn was wearing candycane-striped overalls that were extremely baggy and were three full inches long on the ankles. His shirt was lime green with pink polka dots and had folds in all the wrong places, almost as if Picasso designed it. Basically, he was wearing a clown suit. "You are so dead!"

Meyrin put her hand out and stopped his diving tackle as she put onto his nose a red, round ball. "Perfect!"

Adam squeezed the nose, making it quack. Then he broke into a run, dashing away from the enraged clown. Shinn pointed at the girl. "I'll deal with you later." He dashed after Adam. "When I'm done with you, there won't be enough left to send back home!"

The orange-haired teen led Shinn throughout the ship, until they got back to the mess hall. As they burst into the doors, Adam dove over one of the tables, flipping it over. "You're fast, Shinn."

Shinn looked around at the surprisingly empty room as he pondered his next move. "So are you." They both panted.

"So tell me, do you like math?"

"What the hell brought that up?!" Shinn jumped over the table and Adam ran into the kitchen.

As the Impulse pilot rounded the corner, he slid to a halt, the entire main crew standing before him. Adam turned around with a wide grin on his face. "What's a clown without pie?" And with that, everyone hurled whipped cream projectiles at the boy.

After a few moments of stun, and a pie crust sliding off his face, he brought his hands to his face and squeegeed it off. "Puh!" He spat. "Well, at least it wasn't Lemon Meringue. Puh!" He began to turn away. "Uh?" He reached down his pants and pulled out three more plates, sighing. As he walked towards the door, leaving a sluglike trail of cream, two more crusts fell out of his pant legs. After the door shut behind him, everyone erupted into cacophonous laughter.

"That was the best laugh I've had in years." Talia wiped the corner of her eye.

"Did you see the look on his face right before the first pie hit?" Arthur asked. "Please tell me someone got that on tape." Vino raised his hand, toting a minicam.

"Well, now that our little break is over, everyone's dismissed." Gladys ordered. "Meyrin. Adam. You two remain." As the rest left they stood in front of her at attention. "Humor or no, I can't just let an infraction of the rules go so easily. Adam, you were the mastermind of this operation. You and your little accomplice here are to be punished by cleaning up this mess before dinner. If you can't do it by then, you'll be confined to the brig for the remainder of the day. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Both of them saluted before getting to work. The two of them turned out to be a great team, in both the prank and the cleanup. When Meyrin slipped on a slick spot, Adam caught her in his arms, landing on his butt with a squish. Looking behind him, Meyrin rolled out of his lap, laughing. He sat in a remaining pie.

When Shinn finally emerged from the bathroom, Adam was lying on his bed, changed and ready to sleep, reading an old magazine. "Enjoy your dessert?"

"This is why I hate sweets." He grumbled as he sat down on his own bed. "You're really vindictive sometimes, you know that?"

"And you'll make a good drill sergeant one day." Adam yawned.

"Don't oversleep tomorrow. We're disembarking at Carpentaria, and you need supplies."

"Oh yeah. Forgot." He yawned again. "Thanks. Goodnight."

"Oyasumi."

Adam shot up like his hips were spring loaded. "Look out! Aaaggghhh!"

Shinn shut Mayu's phone and looked to him in the dark. "You okay man?"

Adam rubbed his eyes and looked to the clock: Midnight. "Damn it, not again!" He slammed his head against his pillow. "Let's try this… one more… tim…." He fell asleep once again.

"Twice in a row?" Shinn whispered to no one. He opened up the phone to a solo shot of his sister. "Was I too hard on him?"

Early the next morning, the Chairman received a report in his office. "So Minerva is safe? In Carpentaria?"

"Hai."

"By captain's discretion, they left ORB behind. En route, they were apparently ambushed, and a report submitted by the crew that Impulse destroyed nine enemy ships, including two carriers and a new type of mobile armor."

"That's an incredible feat! Make sure the pilots and crew are well rewarded for their efforts."

"Ha." The man on screen nodded. As Durandal was about to turn off the screen, he continued. "Additionally, Captain Talia Gladys has sent a report involving a rather interesting enlistee."

"Hmm?"

"Communicating it verbally would only make things more confusing, so I am sending it to you now." A document appeared on his screen. "You may wish to read it in its entirety. This concludes my report." He saluted and the link was broken.

As he read through it, he sighed. "This is almost too ridiculous a scenario to believe." He checked another special e-mail on his personal terminal. "But 'he' has confirmed it. For Shinn, it has awakened. Superior Evolutionary Element Destined. With the SEED Factor, his accomplishments are of no surprise." He took a look at Talia's report once again, with the schematics of Falcon, then switching to his other report. "It appears as though this one has it too, although it's hard to confirm without DNA analysis. However this one is an unforeseen anomaly." He picked up one of the knights from his chess board. "Black Knight, Shinn Asuka. Red Knight, Athrun Zala. And this one, Blue Knight, Adam Cancho. I wonder which it will be. Who will be the one to defeat the White King, Kira Yamato?"

Adam had met Lunamaria and Meyrin in Carpentaria's department store, and he joined them on their jaunt back to their ship while trying to lug his bags and sipping his soda at the same time. As they approached, its portside hatch opened. "Uh?"

Luna looked quizzically at the ship. "Are they launching someone? In dry dock?"

"No. That's the reason!" Meyrin pointed to the left. A red mobile armor flew towards the Minerva, transforming into a red and yellow mobile suit as it landed. The three looked at each other, doubling their speed towards the ship in a wordless agreement.

As they made it into the docking bay, the new MS was moved into a maintenance stall. "Is this a new model? Who on earth is that?"

No sooner did she ask then the cockpit opened and the pilot winched himself down. He unsealed his helmet and shook his dark blue hair out. Meyrin gasped. "That's…!"

"Athrun-san!" Luna finished her statement.

"Athrun?"

"ID number 285002. Special forces FAITH unit, Athrun Zala, requesting permission to board." He handed his helmet to the closest mechanic.

Shinn came rushing in, bumping into Vino. "Hey, just now… was that a… you?!" He got a look at the pilot.

"You're late, Shinn." Adam gave him a side glance.

"What's going on here?" He grumbled as he went forward. "What the hell is all this?!"

Luna hit him with her elbow. "Mou! Will you watch what you say for once?! He's FAITH!" She saluted him quickly.

"Uah?!" Shinn's jaw dropped.

Meyrin dropped her bag, and Adam followed suit, the rest of the crew saluting. "Adam, your uniform, fix your uniform!" She whispered.

"Uh? Oh!" He rushed to clasp the collar back together before resuming his pose.

"How did you get…." Shinn only stared at the older teen.

"Shinn!" Luna hissed. Athrun said nothing as he began to salute back to them.

"Uh?" Shinn realized his hands were full, and he turned to Adam and Meyrin, shoving his drink and bag into their hands. Meyrin glared at him as he fixed his collar and saluted.

When Shinn finally put his hand down, Adam sat the soda on the top of his head. "Next time use the ground as your damn cupholder!"

'Just like that, we got a new reinforcement; one of the strongest mobile suit pilots in ZAFT, from what the others told me. However….'

"The Falcon?!" Athrun whipped out his pistol and pinned Adam to the wall, shoving it between his eyes. "Explain yourself! How did you get ORB's prototype unit?! Did you steal it?!"

"Athrun-san, that's going too far!" Luna stepped in. "Adam is just…."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, pilot! Now explain, Cancho!"

"Cagalli-sama gave it to me to save my life!" Adam yelled, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"Cagalli!" Athrun gasped and released the boy. He removed the magazine from his weapon and handed both to him. "I acted rashly. Please forgive me and continue with your story."

Adam finished recounting it to him as they stopped in front of the elevator. "So that's it. You're another victim. I think Cagalli made the right decision. Although that means the situation there has become unstable."

"Um… Zala-san, you seem to know a lot about ORB. Can I ask what your connection with it is?"

"Adam!" Luna snapped.

"It's alright." He waved her off. "I was Cagalli's personal bodyguard, before this second war started."

Adam tried to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out. He ruffled his hair. "Geez! I need a damn scorecard and a couple of year-in-review articles, and I need them bad!" The elevator opened up and all three stepped inside. Athrun rested his back against the cold metal and sighed. "But, how come you re-enlisted?"

"Eh?"

"I'm really dying to know that myself!" Luna punched a button, turning towards him with a smile. "That's fine, right?"

He stared at her for a moment. "Ignoring that, when did Minerva leave ORB? The report said…."

"You went to ORB?!" Adam spoke quickly.

"Ah…." He looked to the floor.

"Were you okay?!" Luna gasped. "That country has already…."

"Ah, they intercepted me. 'PLANT is a hostile enemy state.' Or something like that."

"Damn it!" Adam fisted the wall. "What the hell happened down there?!"

"I think I'm starting to get why Shinn hates them so much."

"HEY!" Adam whirled around.

"Sorry." She looked away. "But they're really messed up right now, that country. When we left, did you hear what happened?"

"Eh?" Both boys turned a listening ear.

"The Earth forces ambushed us! We almost all died! Shinn's best work was the only thing that kept it from being sunk, the Minerva."

"And then they passed a law extraditing all Coordinators." Adam scowled as he stared at the floor.

"But… Cagalli wouldn't… shit!" Athrun turned away, hissing.

"Even I admired her before we went to ORB, Cagalli Yula Athha." Luna crossed her arms and sighed. "But now I'm disappointed. Signing the Atlantic Federation treaty, her and some creepy guy getting married…."

Athrun's briefcase hit the floor as both boys went forward. "MARRIED?!"

Athrun turned to Adam, his eyes only getting a mirrored reaction as an answer. "She never mentioned it. I knew she was holding back on something… but this? Married? Are you sure, Luna?!"

"Unh." She slunk into the corner, not liking the overbearing need of information. "It was on the news a little while ago. But there's a rumor going around that she was abducted during or after the wedding."

"Wha?!"

"By, and get this… Freedom!"

"No wa-… HUH?!" Adam's eyes went wide.

"Kira!" Athrun whispred amidst his outburst.

As the Captain opened a box with the same kind of pin that Athrun was wearing, Adam checked up on the stats of his machine. 'After looking into it later I understood. After Junius Seven, tensions were pretty high, and the World Security Treaty Organization allied all the major countries on Earth. However, to say it was made to fight PLANT wouldn't be false. Cagalli wouldn't have cooperated with them, but most likely that "Bastard Yuna" she spoke of took control of the government.'

"So we're going to Suez to support their forces?" Arthur read over his newly-promoted captain's orders.

"Of the Eurasian conflicts in the west, Suez is the most violent." Images flashed on the captain's screen for Athrun to see, most of them brutal or bloody.

The pilot took a closer look at them. He shuddered. "I knew that Eurasia was a powder keg for all this, but…."

"The war declaration lit the match and set off all the kegs at once. He wants us to go there, in other words."

Adam flopped onto his bed and sighed. "Leaving already? I thought we'd have at least two more days of R and R."

"We're a battleship after all, Adam. It's what we do." Shinn flipped his phone shut and put it on his night stand.

"Yeah, I know, I know. But the crew seems down since we're not going back into space."

"Of course, they're all from PLANT, unlike us. We were born down here, after all."

"Then why are you never happy down here?" Adam looked over to his friend. The boy stared at him for a second before turning over. "Sorry." 'Suez. This world was starting to fall apart, faster than anyone had thought, crueler than anyone had thought. But I promised myself I'd do what I could and end this war for my parents' sake. I can only hope that everyone else felt the same. Especially him… Athrun Zala.'

The next morning, Minerva watched a green submarine leave port. The crew on shore saluted the crew onboard and vice versa. "Nyiragongo has launched."

"Then we should be on our way too. Minerva, begin launch. All ahead slow."

In the pilot's lounge, Adam sipped on his soda, sitting in his yellow flight suit. As Athrun entered, he noticed Shinn, lying back on the sofa in his own red flight suit, reading a music magazine with a High and Mighty Color album cover on the front. Ignoring the glare from beyond the pages Athrun walked to the window and sighed. 'If Kira is with her, Cagalli should be okay. In any case, she can't go back to ORB any time soon.'

Adam took a large slurp of his drink as he observed his fellow pilots. 'The enmity is so thick in here you could cut it with a knife.' He pulled out a deck of cards from no where. "Anyone want to play a game? Beat Your Neighbor? Texas Holdem? War?" The two just looked at him funny.

In PLANT, the white pawn moved forward a step on Durandal's desk.

On the deck of the ship, Ray observed as they pulled past a seagull. His head turned on its own, being drawn to a location in the sky. When he realized it, he grunted and ran inside.

Bart's screen began to light up. "Captain!"

"Seven."

"Two."

"King."

"Doubt it!" Adam smiled. He flipped over the card Athrun had thrown down. "D'oh!"

"You suck at this game." Shinn laughed.

Alarms started blaring. "Condition Red alert! Condition Red alert! All pilots stand by in their units!"

"No way, we're under attack?" Adam looked up.

Shinn got up and started running towards the hangar. "Come on! We're heading out!"

"Checking heat signature. They're Windams. Approximately 30." Bart reported.

"Thirty?!" The bridge locked into its battle position.

"Uh! Escorting them is Chaos!"

"It's from THAT unit?!"

The communication screen popped up, Athrun's mug appearing. "Gladys-cancho, is it the EAF?"

"Eh. Looks like we've fallen into another ambush. It sure is rough being popular. That's the third time. We can't evade them now. This ship will be going into battle. What about you?" Athrun looked up in surprise. "I can't give you orders since we're the same rank."

"I'll sign a few autographs."

"You sure about that?"

"True, I am not under your command, but I am still a member of this crew. It's a shame, but we can't dodge this fight, so I may as well lend a hand."

The captain seemed content with that answer. "Then I'd like to give command of the mobile suits over to you when they launch. Okay?"

Athrun nodded. "Understood."

Meyrin's voice echoed through the hangar as Adam and Shinn ran to their units. "Impulse, Savior, Falcon, launch immediately! ZAKUs please stand by for more orders." Shinn gave Adam a thumbs up as he shut the cockpit of Core Splendor. He did the same back before he climbed into Falcon. Athrun was lifted up to his Gundam's cockpit.

As the central catapult was being elevated, Adam's communications screen popped up. "Shinn Asuka. Adam Cancho."

"Umh? Hai." Shinn turned from examining his wing.

"Nani?" Adam responded.

"Command of this mission has been handed over to me once we've launched."

"Gueh?!"

"Our objective it breaking through the enemy line. Got it?"

"Yokhai, glad to have you." Adam gave a thumbs up.

"Hai…." Shinn made a dissatisfied grunt before both windows shut down.

"Uh?" Sting's radar screen blipped an unknown. "What unit is that?"

In a custom purple Windam, Neo typed away. "Another new model? From Carpentaria? Heh, ZAFT's incredible huh?"

"Heh! That little pest..." He hit the throttle and made his way to the new unit.

"Oi oi, Sting!" Neo was ignored. "Oh well, I guess I'll target our old friends over there!"

Shinn rocketed past a Windam, turning around and sending a beam through its back. "Woah, nice shot." Adam smirked as he transformed into mobile suit, swinging his beam saber into an enemy.

"You there! Let's see your strength, little newcomer!" Sting's beam rifle and bullets hurtled for Savior. Athrun dove into a cloud and came out of it in mobile armor form. He slid past the unit, shaking him up with the engine wash. "Eh!"

"Kei…." Athrun winced as he did a U-turn, firing all of its beam weapons from above.

Chaos raised his shield to block as he dove past. "Coitsu!"

"Ey! It's annoying that there are so many of them." Shinn engaged his targeting visor. Shinn raised his rifle into the sky. "Ha!" He let the beams fly, cutting into a Windam. From behind him came two more shots.

"Shinn!" Adam slid next to him, firing into the enemy that attacked him.

"Like we'll ever lose to these guys!" He raised his shield up to block a shot.

"Shinn, ever played in one of those gyro space simulators?"

"Uh? Yeah! Good one!" They gripped each other's shield hands. "I'll take vertical, you take horizontal!" They spun around each other, firing at any enemy mobile suit that came into view. The Windams they went against couldn't attack them, any beam rifle shot would have blown straight by. As the remaining enemies were out of range, they broke apart, hurtling toward other formations.

"Hmm. So that's it." Neo smiled. "Those two work well together." His purple ship took a shot at Impulse, which he blocked. Shinn returned fire as he flew into a cloud. From behind it, Neo took another shot, which Impulse barrel rolled to avoid.

Adam tried to take a shot at the Windam as it emerged from the clouds. Neo dodged and took two shots at Falcon, one of which needed to be deflected with his shield. "Damn it!" He flew down to Shinn's level.

"What's with this guy?"

"Dunno. He's fast!"

"Adam, flank him!"

"Yokhai!" Adam broke off as Shinn tried to take three shots at Neo, none connecting. As Neo flew into another cloud, Adam fired a shot, only to have one returned at him, which he sidestepped.

Neo emerged from the clouds, charging ahead. "I wouldn't get cocky if I were you, my little ZAFT Aces!" Impulse flew past him and dodged the shots aimed at him. Neo turned to follow. "Make yourselves useful and corner him!" Four other Windams joined him in formation.

A total of seven Windams surrounded Shinn from all sides as he spun around, dodging fire each time. "Shit!"

Adam was caught up in his own fight, deflecting one of the beams into another Windam as he used the other hand to shoot a third down. "Did I mention that this isn't my day?!"

"Launcher 1. Launcher 2. TEI!" Missiles erupted from the side of the battleship.

"Shinn! You're out too far! What are you doing?" Athrun checked his radar.

"Eaaay!" Chaos fired its beam rifle from above.

"Tch!" Athrun rolled out of the way.

"Heh! Complain when you're in my situation!" Shinn raised his shield and returned fire.

Adam pumped an enemy full of lead. "Commander, I'll back him up!" He switched to mobile armor form and two Windams were split in half by his wingsabers.

Inside the Nyiragongo…. "Sonar detected, number: 1! It's fast!" Bubbles trailed the light blue submarine that vectored in. "It's a mobile suit!"

"Heheh." Auel chuckled.

"Prep Ray and Luna for underwater combat!" Gladys ordered. "Launch as soon as they're ready to go."

"Hai." Meyrin turned to her station, worry all over her face, knowing her sister was weak when it came to submersible combat.

Two GhOONs fired missiles from is arm launchers. Abyss banked to the side, breaking the torpedo lock. As its mobile armor form transformed in front of one GhOON, Auel's short scythe bit into it. "Ha haa! Sorry! Am I too strong?!" Another submersible suit was sliced up.

Shinn took out another two units straight to the cockpit and failed once again to hit Neo's unit. "Damn you!" He cried as he pulled out his beam saber. Impulse charged at the suit as it fired shots, which were quickly avoided.

As Shinn was about to bring down the sword on the Windam, Neo pulled up. "Oopsy!"

"Shinn!" Adam cried as he dove straight for the rising machine with his wingsabers.

Neo saw him coming from the right and blocked with his shield, sending him skidding off. "Double oopsy!"

"Tei!" Adam cried as he fired his rear cannon.

"Woah!" Neo dove low to avoid the blast as Adam flipped back into mobile suit form.

"Eat this!" Shinn said as Neo dropped to the lower level.

"Huh?" Neo prepared to dodge Shinn's attack as Adam's green beam came down from above, taking a slice off the back of Neo's shield. Shinn then took his shot. Adam was swarmed by Windams again. Neo laughed. "Well met!"

Shinn riddled a Windam's back with bullets, swinging around and firing into another enemy with his beam rifle. He once again targeted the purple one. "This one… It's the one I have to shoot down!"

Adam took a shot to the chest cavity of an enemy. He closed up his shield and drew both beam sabers out from the wings. He charged an enemy. One sword impacted the Windam's shield and the Gundam flipped the other into a backhand position and stabbed it into the mobile suit. He broke away as it exploded. Another one moved up behind him. "Fire!" Adam sent his rear buster hurtling towards the unit.

"Neo!" Gaia galloped forward in the shallow water. Neo smiled as he saw the black Gundam jump. "Haaaaaaaahhhhh!"

"Eh?" Shinn's alarm went off as he looked to the side. "Gaia!" Shinn was tackled by the metallic dog. "Uagh!"

Neo came around for another pass. "Shinn! Egh!" Athrun cried. "Adam, help him out!" He transformed to mobile suit and fired his beam cannons at the evading Chaos. He fired his rifle at the purple unit, forcing him to change course.

"Crap, that one's even better!" Neo hissed as he eyed Savior. Adam closed in and fired his Vulcans. "This is getting very old very quickly!"

Gaia and Impulse rose out of the water. "Coitsu! You always… always… ALWAYS…!" She dove for him. Shinn pulled a beam saber from his shoulder and swing it down. Gaia jumped out of the way.

"Sting, flank him!" Neo joined forces with Chaos. They started firing from different directions.

"Hang on, Athrun!" Adam said as he gripped the stick of his jet hard. He ran past Chaos as he tried to shoot down one of his pods.

"Tch! You again?!"

"Shinn, fall back! You're playing into their hands!"

Stellar whipped her beam saber out from her hip. "You… today for sure!"

"Shinn, do what he said!" Adam called as he opened up his shield and deflected all four of Sting's beam attacks into his general direction.

"Shut the hell up, both of you! I can take him!" Shinn yelled as he charged. Stellar's saber was deflected by his shield. As Impulse swung hard, she jumped away. Abyss fired missiles at Ray and Luna, who banked away as hard as they could. Shinn and Stellar still continued to clash in the forest of the island.

In the EAF Frontline Base, an alarm was raised. "Get the anti-air turrets ready! Eay! That bastard Roanoke, what the hell is he doing?!" The base sortied their tanks. As the military personnel were called to arms, the workers decided to make a run for it.

Shinn sliced through the trees, forcing Gaia back. The wives and children of the men shook the chain link fence on their side of the trench. Some of the men found a hole and slid down into the gulley. Shinn was assaulted by low caliber bullets from machine guns. "What now?!" He turned towards the buildings hidden within the trees. "A base? What's one doing here? Is it unfinished?" His scanners brought the movement by the fence to the forefront of his vision. "The people here… they look enslaved!"

Adam dodged and broke away from Chaos and headed straight for Impulse. As he closed in, he passed over the base. "Is this… where they were hiding?" His screen also brought up the civilian escape attempt. "What are they…?" Three soldiers ran into the trench and filled it with machine gun fire. All the would-be escapees were killed, most of them in the back. Adam and Shinn both gasped, remembering the scenes from the attack on ORB. "Shinn… do something." The black-haired boy said nothing. "What they're doing is mass murder!" His eyes were in a tearful rage. Shinn nodded and tossed Gaia away.

Two shots grazed Athrun from behind. He whirled around quickly and blasted the last blue Windam. Neo grunted. "Tch, have we hit our limit? The stage wasn't good for performing. Jones, we're pulling out! Meet us at the rendezvous!" His Windam did an about face and headed away from the island. "Auel! Sting! Stellar! We're done here! Fall back!"

"Hmph!" Auel leaned forward, heading straight for the submersible. He smiled as four missiles hurtled towards the Nyiragongo. They hit their target, and the exmplosion shockwave knocked Luna and Ray for a loop. Everyone on the Minerva's bridge was aghast at the scene.

"KUSO!" Shinn fired his vulcans into the cannons. As he stomped his way into the base, the explosions he caused vaporized multiple EAF soldiers that were running for shelter. Shinn sliced up a silo, and it exploded.

"You go, Shinn. I'll watch your back." Adam whispered.

"Shinn! That's enough! What the hell are you doing?" Athrun cried as he destroyed the buildings with his beam rifle. "They have no more strength left to fight with!"

"Kh!" Shinn looked up into the sky for a second before heading for the civilians. Adam smiled as he watched Impulse yank the two fences full out of the ground and dropped them, letting the families reunite at his feet.

Athrun stayed silent and unreadable at the scene. "All pilots return to ship. This mission is over."

After all five pilots were out of their units and on the ground, Athrun marched up to Shinn. "Shinn Asuka!" As Shinn turned from talking to a mechanic, a hand swiped across his cheek and the slap echoed throughout the hangar.

"Shinn!" Adam tossed his helmet to the nearest mechanic and started over to him.

"I don't care if you feel like beating my brains out, but there was nothing I did wrong! My actions saved those people!"

Athrun's hand came down for another strike, but Adam's gloved hand held his wrist fast. "I don't care if you're FAITH! You have no right to hit him! Those people were being enslaved and Shinn set them free!"

"Then in that case, you can join him!" He elbowed Adam hard in the stomach and flipped him over into the black-haired boy.

"Gheeeehhh." Adam snarled as he got up, covering his stomach.

"In war you don't go around playing hero!" Both snarled. "You ignored my orders, went off on your own, and that's all you have to say?! We didn't receive our machines to do something like that!"

Adam leaned forward. "'Something like that'?!"

"How dare you say that?!" Shinn got up and balled his fist.

"You didn't even see what happened!"

"You have no fucking clue what you're talking about! Didn't you learn from your master's mistakes?!" Shinn pulled within inches of his commander. "Oh that's right! You were Athha's bodyguard!"

"Shinn…" Adam couldn't continue staying mad, overwhelmed by Shinn's rage.

"And so you come back without rhyme or reason, get the biggest promotion a pilot could receive, and become my commander?! Do you think I can really agree to that shit?!"

"Shinn…." Luna winced, worried that it could escalate to a full scale fisticuff.

"He's right! Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Adam finally managed to say something.

Athrun gripped both of them by the collars of their flight suits. "'That's why I can't accept you!' Is that what you were going to say?! So you won't follow my orders, is that it?"

"Ah… um…" Luna quivered, indecisive, as Ray put a hand on her shoulder.

"Only if those orders are unreasonable." Adam hissed as he pulled loose. "I have no problem with you being a commander as long as you pay attention to the surroundings! But stopping us was completely out of line! Aren't we supposed to be saving the innocent?"

"Is that really what you think?" Athrun turned towards the remaining boy in his grip. "You said that you lost your family at ORB."

"They were killed, is what I said, by Athha!"

"Uh! Shinn, come on, that's…!" Adam turned towards his friend.

"Ah, you can go on thinking that if you want." Athrun pushed the boy backwards. "But once you take hold of the power that you desired, you'll be the one that makes others suffer!"

"Eh?!" Shinn grunted as he regained his balance. Adam's color palette inverted and his eyes began to water.

"Don't ever forget that!" Athrun turned away.

"Kgh! Hrr!" Shinn glared at the commander, not wanting to admit that he was right. "Tch!" He headed out of another door.

"Well, that was rather scary." Ray sighed as he went to speak with the chief.

"Unh." Luna nodded as she gripped her helmet tightly. "Adam, are you okay? Do you need some ice?" He didn't answer. "Adam?"

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stared down at his gloved hands. He looked away as he balled his fists. "KGH!" Adam tore out of the room without a word.

"Uh… Adam? Adam, what is it?! Adam!" She tried running after him, but he was too quick.

'"You'll be the one that makes others suffer."' Adam sobbed as he sat curled up on his bed. 'What's the point of saying it at that juncture… when my hands were already stained with blood. The blood of those officers… the blood of those Windam pilots...' The door to his quarters slid open, and Meyrin entered. Seeing him there, she flung herself upon him, trying to comfort him as best as possible. Shinn looked away as the door closed in front of him, leaving the two alone. 'What's worth protecting? Why protect it? What are the reasons to protect? How does one protect? Can you even do it when you have nothing? Only one person showed me how foolish those questions were, and she became my reason to keep going. My purpose wasn't to destroy the enemy. It was to protect lives, hers, and people like hers, innocent and untainted. If people died on the way, then I had to be okay with that to move forward. Maybe that's why… in the next battle…'

"RrrraaaaAAAAHHHH!" Adam gunned the engine, his eyes wide. "YOU BASTARDS WANT THE TOWN?! WELL YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT!" He switched into mobile suit mode in front of the Lohengrin cannon, threatening to destroy everything. It impacted Adam's shield at point-blank range. "RRRRAAAAGGHHH!" Adam fought against the powerful blast. Falcon's shoulder shields merged together and he reached into it with one hand. "AGH!" One of his screens exploded as Adam played with his beam rifle's power core. The nose cone flipped over and slammed against the shield. "Boom." The nose cone and shield exploded, the shockwave sending the cannon's blast right back where it came from. The damage caused a chain reaction in both Lohengrins, and the base started to go up, explosion by explosion.

Later, in the infirmary, Adam had his wounds bound, a wound on his head and a cracked rib in his chest. "Without a nose, mobile armor form is useless. And we don't have the resources or technology to make it or a positron shield." He sighed.

"In any case, I think someone would like to see you." The doctor finished. "You can come in now, he's decent."

A certain girl with pinkish-red pigtails walked into the room, her hands clenched in front of her. Adam smiled when he saw her. "Meyrin."

She sat down next to him as the doctor took his leave. When she looked up, tears were in her eyes. "I thought you…."

"Had died?"

"Unh." She looked down to her knees.

He pushed her chin up and looked into her deep blue eyes. "That's not going to happen. I promised to protect you, and as long as you need protecting, I'm not dying."

"Adam… why do you do these things for me?"

"I think that answer's obvious." He rubbed a tear from her cheek.

"You're right, it is." Meyrin willed herself forward and kissed him on the lips. It was the shock of a lifetime for Adam, but he closed his eyes and enjoyed his girlfriend's gift.

'Why do we go into battle? To show our overwhelming power, thus lowering the enemy's morale. Anything less will dwindle our forces, and anything more will spread hatred. Well that's what Athrun said. But if that's true, then wouldn't it be good to gain allies by saving people? If people need rescuing, let's rescue them, and get more people on our side. However what he said after that worried me most. "The most difficult part is when those who know that, and those who don't, are on the opposite ends of the battle." But where did that put us?'

'After Minerva's difficult mission in Gulnahan, we finally docked in the Black Sea, at the port city of Diocuia, where someone unexpected was waiting for us.'

In the center of the city lie a hotel that looked more like a castle. Surrounded by ZAFT mobile suits, including a brand new bright orange GOUF Ignited, the Supreme Chairman greeted his two companions. "You look well." He addressed Ray, as he stood next to his captain. "I've heard that your performance has been excellent lately. I'm pleased."

"Gil!" In an uncharacteristic move, the boy smiled, his eyes shown like the afternoon sun.

"To relax together like this, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Ray's smile grew even wider, and in an even bolder action, leapt into the Chairman's arms, giving him a huge hug. The captain watched on, her eyes never wavering, or giving off any sense of surprise.

Ray slipped into his normal character an sat down as footsteps approached. "Excuse me, Supreme Chairman." An orange-haired FAITH officer saluted. This man was very familiar, the one who fought in a custom ZAKU in the first battle of the war.

"Supreme Chairman?!" Adam and Shinn said to each other before rushing to fix their uniforms.

"The pilots from Minerva have come, as per your invitation."

"Yo." The man said as he stood, walking up to them. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Athrun?"

The pilots saluted as the man with the long black hair offered his hand. After a moment looking at it, Athrun shook. "Hai, Gichou." The other pilots lowered their arms as well.

"Mmm? And who are you, young fellow?" The Chairman turned towards the only other person in present company with orange hair. "You're a new face to the Minerva, aren't you?"

"Hai, Durandal-gichou." Adam saluted again. "I am Adam Cancho, sir!"

"Oh, so you're the Cancho boy?! I must say, I was surprised when I received the Carpentaria report. Your story would be practically unbelievable at any other time. It must be fate that brought you to us. I've been looking forward to shaking your hand for a while." He extended his arm.

"I-I'm honored, sir!" Adam grasped the man's hand in a half state of shock.

"Iie. It is I who am honored. Please, all of you join us for tea." He swept his hand towards the table.

As they sat down, Talia turned towards the man of her own age. "What is the situation in space? The EAF lunar base and all."

"The same as usual." He sighed as he put his cup on his saucer. "A few small-scale skirmishes once in a while, but that's all it is."

"No movements towards a cease-fire or armistice then?"

"No, unfortunately none at all. The Alliance is still too stubborn to concede any time soon. Though I'd like us to be rid of this war, it doesn't appear as though an end is in sight. The narrow path to end fighting and stop battles is much harder to find than the wide warpath."

"But…." Adam and Shinn said at the same time.

"Mm?"

They looked at each other, but sunk their head down. Shinn raised his head first. "It's true that avoiding fighting is an important goal. But if the enemy is attacking you, there's no choice. You need to fight when fighting is needed. We won't be able to protect anything, even ourselves, if we don't!" All of his companions looked on in surprise. "Those who are living normal, peaceful lives must be protected!"

"I have to agree with Shinn." Adam played with his spoon, nervously trying to come up with the correct words. "Even in enemy nations, there are still people who want to live in peace. My parents are back in ORB, waiting for the day that the world will stop tailspinning into destruction. Others must feel the same! Those are the ones we can't harm. If we attack recklessly, civilians could get hurt, even if it isn't deadly force."

The table was silent for a while. "But, saying that…." Athrun finally spoke. "We can't forget that those enemies have civilian families. 'Killing because someone was killed… being killed because you killed… is that twisted thinking really going to lead to peace?' A friend asked me that once. I couldn't answer back then, and now I sit here, still joining the fight, still looking for that answer."

"Exactly." Durandal rose from his seat. "That's where the problem resides. Why is it that we continue to fight? Why is it that war has never been eliminated from this earth? Every era has cried out for an end to warfare, and in spite of it all, it still goes on."

"Because some desire it to continue, wars." Everyone turned to the blonde pilot in surprise. "So they can make a large profit from the conflict."

"Eh?!" Shinn blinked.

"Profit?" Luna gasped, confused.

"Ray…." Durandal turned around in surprise, and a bit of pride.

"Wait, what do you mean, Ray? Profit from wars? That doesn't make sense." Adam turned towards him fully.

"It makes a lot of sense once you think about it. 'They're the enemy! They're dangerous! Fight them!' 'They attacked us! It's unforgiveable! Fight them!' History has documented that there have been people who sat back and let others fight for them, driving them along with those words, all for the sake of their pocketbooks."

"Wha?! No way!" Shinn was rather disturbed, not liking the thought that his family died for the sake of money.

"Well, those people who hide in the shadows, the Logos, no doubt still exist today." Durandal backed up the boy's statement.

"Logos?" Athrun raised his head.

"They are the people who created Blue Cosmos, after all." Adam swallowed at the admission. "As long as they are the puppeteers, PLANT and Earth's strings will be tugged to fight each other." The pilots furrowed their brows in thought. "If there's something, anything, I could do, I would like to do it. But in difficulty in and of itself, anything else is chump change."

As a certain pink-haired pop princess emulator dashed out of her vehicle, into the hotel, Adam brought his girlfriend into his quarters on Minerva. "Meyrin, you know that big castle-like building in the center of town?" She nodded. "How'd you like to stay there tonight?"

Meyrin's jaw nearly dropped through the floor. "You're serious, aren't you?" He nodded. "How?"

"The Chairman let all of us pilots stay there for the night. I wasn't planning on taking up the offer, because I didn't want you missing out. He would have none of it, and pulled a few strings to get you a room too."

"Oh, Adam!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "That would be wonderful."

"So go grab a few of your things, and I'll do the same."

"Uh-huh. I'll hurry up." Meyrin turned towards the door.

She stopped as a strange ring emanated from Adam's pocket. "Huh? Who would be calling me? Shinn left his phone here." He shrugged as he answered his cell. "Moshi moshi? Oh, hey Chibi."

He quickly pulled the phone away from his ear. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME CHIBI!" Meyrin giggled as Adam cleaned out his ear.

"Yeah, it's good to hear from you too…. What? It's not my fault you can't take a joke…. Okay, I'm sorry, you happy now?... Uh? Really?... So spill already!... I'm in Diocuia…. That close? Thanks, Connie!... Okay, I will…. Keep in touch. Bye." Adam hung up. "YES!" He flopped back onto his bed. "That was Ms. Conille, our informant from Gulnahan. She found a really good mobile suit parts customizer that could probably fix and make spare parts for Falcon."

"Really? Wow, that's great! You should let the captain know right away. I'll meet you at the hotel."

In the fading light of the courtyard, Durandal turned towards Athrun. "The thing is, Athrun, I was going to ask you about the Archangel." Athrun took in a surprised breath as Mia's Haro bounced around in her lap as she sat on a bench, waiting for them to finish.

"Hai."

"After that ship left ORB, where did it go? I was hoping there might be a chance that you might know."

"Uh… iie. It's also been disturbing me, but I probably know as little as you." Durandal's eyes narrowed. "In irony, I was going to ask you the same question."

"That so? With the way things are, I was hoping for that ship to lend me its power. That girl, the real Lacus Clyne, is probably there too."

"Hai. There's no doubt of that. Kira would… Uh, no… If that ship left ORB, Lacus would never be left behind. The Coordinator extradition law would have made sure of that as well." He barely caught himself on the whereabouts of his friend.

"That's what I had assumed. If you happen to learn anything, at that time could you contact me?"

"Hai. Could I ask you to do the same, Gichou?"

"Ah." With that said, Mia got up and took the man's place, as the red ball continued to boink at her side.

"_And just how do you know that?!"_ Adam winced, his eyes tightly shut, flopping over, taking his covers with him. _"Ever since the attack, we've been holed up down here! There has been no tv, no internet, no phone service!"_

"_Exactly! Because we haven't gotten any news on any media, we can't assume that it's safe!" Adam's mother blocked the exit as they yelled at each other._

"_That doesn't prove anything other than the fact that we don't have media outlets! Someone needs to go up and search for news! Now stand aside!"_

"_Never! Haven't you thought that there might not be anyone left to get news from?"_

"_I'm going stir crazy in here!" Adam yelled, flinging his arm to the side. "We have to go! I have to go!" His father appeared behind him, gripping his wrist tight. "Damn it, let go of me!"_

"_Adam, I already checked. There's nothing left. We're better off inside."_

"_Liar." Adam snarled. "Or do you forget who keeps this shithole clean?! You haven't gone outside at all, or there would be fingerprints on the elevator, and dirt on the floor! Why are you so fucking hell bent on… guh!"_

_The man removed his fist from the boy's abdomen. "I'm your father! If I say there's nothing out there, there's nothing out there. Do you understand me?!"_

"_So you're condemning me to rot in this place?" The boy hissed, gulping for air._

"_If it keeps us alive." He took a swing to the boy's neck, hitting a nerve and forcing him to pass out._ Adam's eyes opened wide, coming out of his dream. An old fashioned phone was ringing on his nightstand.

'The fact that that dream… no, that that memory was dredged up disturbed me. It was a couple of weeks after that that I packed my bags and took off before they woke up. I hadn't even left a note. By the time the XO, Vino, and I had arrived at the parts shop, I rationalized that it was just Gichou's statement the day before. Of course, that was the last thing on my mind when we finally met the merchant.'

FOOOOM! From the smoke of an electrical explosion came coughing an 18 year old. With red hair that was currently standing on end, hazel eyes, and a build no better than Athrun or Ray, he didn't seem like any kind of mechanic. After wiping the sweat and grease off his face with one hand, he held it out to them. "Name's Alan Sheridan. Nice to meet you."

'To say we were suspicious of his qualifications would have been an understatement. It was more like we were wondering if any of his gadgets worked at all. Desperate for our business, he revealed a project that changed our minds instantly.'

"That's a… METEOR!" Arthur gasped.

"Yep, I was one of the major developers on the project. This baby never made it into battle, so I took it home with me. I've been working on some modifications for it. So, do I have your business?"

'Hell yeah, he had our business, no matter how bizarre he was. We handed him the schematics for Falcon and told him about the nose and positron deflector shield.'

"Give me an hour. I'll make some blueprints and bring them out. We'll talk about the cost afterwards. Help yourself to some coffee… if you can ever find the coffee machine in here."

"Oh, that's all right. I brought my own." Arthur pulled a thermos out of his coat pocket. As he opened it, a drop spilt out of the side. When it hit the ground, it ricocheted, bouncing off of and through little experiments in the tent before laughing as it shot out the door. "Eheh, oops."

"I see you like it strong. Don't worry about the damage. None of the stuff in here works anyway."

'After Vino and I came out of our hiding places and checked each other for damages from the quantum singularity known as Arthur Trine's Special Brew Coffee, Sheridan returned, revealing something we hadn't expected, two new cones. The Asteroid: A long range heavy weapons pack, with a beam cannon and a missile battery. The Meteorite: A close range melee pack, complete with an anti-ship blade and two beam boomerangs. And of course the original cone, renamed Comet. After some negotiation….'

"7500 rou."

"Make it 7000."

"Then how about 7700?"

"Hey, why is it going higher?!"

'We came to a good price. Of course then he pulled out a ridiculous request.'

"Nine kegs of dark beer." A tumbleweed rolled by as the Minerva crew stared at him.

"Beer?"

"Beer."

'And that's how we wound up going out back once again, into the hot sun.'

"I give you, the Sheridan Earth and Zodiac Alliance Modified Suit, ShEZAMS!"

'A BaCOE head. Astray arms. High Maneuver GINN legs. A Dagger shield. A Windam flight pack. A GAZuOOT chest. If I didn't know what the phrase "Cut-and-shut" meant before, I sure as hell knew now. And the piece de resistance, a mobile-suit-sized water pistol with a backpack reservoir!'

"TEI!" Alan cried and an orange ball of energy erupted from the cannon. Unlike a straight beam like normal or an arching beam like Forbidden's, it moved every which way, wobbling around from place to place at random until it reached its target.

'Of course, completely blowing our expectations to dust, it missed the target boulder.'

"It's designed to attack bases and battleships, not mobile suits."

'As if that's an excuse.'

"I make the energy pass through an amount of beer equal to one keg per shot. Not only does the refraction concentrate the beam for more power, the chemical aspects of the alcohol make the beam's course unable to fly in a straight line. It's not good for small targets, but better if you're aiming for a battleship or something of that nature. I call it the Drunken Breaker. I need the beer to test my improvements on it."

'So after the early morning excursion, construction began on Falcon's new parts. I did not envy the XO though. I could just see the paperwork sitting on his desk when he got back to his office.'

Arthur sighed as his door slid open. "Eh? Aaahhh!" He was pushed up against the bulkhead, pinned by the sheer amount of paper that poured out of his office. "I'm gonna need more coffee."

Adam, Meyrin, Youlan, and Vino… as the four friends from Minerva took an afternoon stroll in the bazaar, they window shopped, enjoying their shore leave, free from their uniforms, and relaxing like normal teens. As they entered another café section, a shiver ran down Adam's spine. As Meyrin and Vino started playfully arguing about any old topic, Adam fell back, into step with his other companion. "Youlan…."

"Ah, you felt it too, huh?"

"Yeah, the atmosphere changed. Something's up."

"Also, the number of people in this area is less than the others. They're not reacting normally either."

"There's also a lot of alleyways around here." Adam saw a human-sized movement in one of them and gasped. "Something's going to happen! Do you have an emergency beacon with you?"

"Yeah."

"Crack it now. We're in a bad spot."

"Gotcha." Youlan pulled out his dog tags and snapped one of them in half.

Shinn put the kickstand down and dismounted his rented bike. He had found a nice scenic ocean view off of a cliff. He stretched and sniffed the crisp salty air as the breeze tossed his hair slightly. Over the crashing waves, he heard the voice of a girl singing. On the next jut on the cliff was a golden blonde with purple eyes, singing softly as she spun and danced in her blue, white, and purple dress. As she continued to spin forward, Shinn smiled and looked away, glad that someone else was able to enjoy the day. "Ah!" Her squeak reached his ear.

"Uh?" A splashing sound came up from the sea. "Eh?!" The happy musician was gone. "Oi, she couldn't have…." He ran onto her cliff and spun around searching for her. As Shinn looked down over the edge, he could see the girl splashing madly below. "Eeeehh?! This is a joke, right? She really fell in?!"

"Ah! Ebb!" Her squeal was cut short as she reached for the sky.

"Deh! She can't even swim?! Eay." He stood up, peeling off his heavy clothes and shoes. Shinn leapt in after her, feet first.

By now she was starting to sink, her lungs holding in the last breath she had taken. By the time Shinn reached her, she had let it go. He grabbed her waist from behind, and instinct took over her mind. She tore away from him, but her strength left her and he pulled the girl up to the surface.

Shinn put the girl's arm over his shoulder as they walked their exhausted forms into water that you could kneel in, where they threw themselves onto the sand. The blonde coughed as Shinn flipped his water-drenched form over as he caught his breath. "Were you planning to die or something, you idiot?!" The girl's world just stopped as the forbidden word triggered her flight instinct with intense fervor. "If you can't swim, girl, why were you being so care…" His anger faded as he saw her reaction.

"N-no." Her face was the epitome of fear as she backed up.

"Uh?"

She started shivering when her back hit a rock. "I don't want to die!"

"Eh? Um…."

"IIYA!" She took off towards the sea.

"Oi! Hold on a sec! Just what is it?!" Shinn went after her with a new burst of energy.

"No! I don't want to die! I'm scared!" Her feet were slipping on the rocks as the water kept getting deeper.

"That's why I said to wait! That's why I said not to go!" He grabbed her by the waist and she started flailing again.

She fought against him as she cried. "Die! If I'm shot, I'll die!" She elbowed him hard in the cheek, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth as he hit the water. She lost her balance on a jagged rock and fell as well.

"This girl…." Shinn thought back to the oppression of the EAF on the citizens in the area.

"Don't! Please not that! I'm afraid! I'm afraid to die!" Her strength was starting to leave her again.

Shinn yanked her up, turned her around, and cradled her head as he held tightly to her. "Ah, I get it! You'll be fine. You're not gonna die!" She gasped as she lifted her head from his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll do it. I'll protect you!" His words brought to her mind a certain masked man. She sobbed into his shoulder.

The four teens approached a soda shop with some large outdoor tables. Adam and Youlan nodded to each other. "Hey, I'm thirsty. Let's grab a drink."

"But we just had ice cream, Adam." Meyrin looked to her boyfriend.

"Meyrin." He stared at her with the gravest look he could ever put on his face. "Please."

"U…unh." She nodded as she sat down. Vino just shrugged, not getting it.

"I'll have two Lemonade-Lime sodas." Adam spoke to the cashier.

The man glared at him. "That'll be three fifty."

"Here you go." Adam pulled out a five. The man took it and put it into the register, turning to the soda table. "Hey, I gave you a five! Where's my change?" He said, reaching for the metal napkin case.

"Right here!" The man said as he pulled out a pistol.

"Hae!" Adam flung the case at the pistol before the man could line up a shot. "Youlan!" The boy cried as he leapt over the counter, pulling out a knife from his pocket.

"Hit the deck!" Youlan cried as he kicked the table over. The three dove behind it just as it began to rain bullets.

Adam sliced open the neck of the man that attempted to kill him and grabbed his weapon from the floor. From the alleyways opposite of the store, three gun toting men poured out, wearing blue on some part of their clothing. "Your race has ended Coordinator! For a pure and blue world!"

Meyrin screamed as Adam fired shots from over the counter, taking one out. "Who the hell are these guys?!" He jumped over the counter and rolled into the back of the table.

"Blue Cosmos?! Damn extremists!" Youlan hissed as Vino covered his head, cowering.

An orange haired Coordinator walked through the bazaar sipping on a soda in full uniform. "Well, I'm glad that girl turned in my forms. This is a really nice day today." He sighed as he stretched, before the sound of gunshots reached his ears. "What the…?" His phone rang in his pocket, which he quickly answered. "Westenfluss."

"There's an emergency beacon active in the bazaar. Can you assist?"

"Affirmative." He said as he pulled out his weapon and ran towards the sounds.

After more shots at the enemy, the familiar clicking sound of an empty gun made Adam drop down behind their shield. "Shit! It's empty, and I don't have another clip!"

"Then it's time for you to say sayonara, you monster!" Another radical came out from the alley to the left of them and lowered his machine gun at them.

Time slowed as Adam spread his arms wide, acting as a shield for Meyrin and the others. The enemy reared as a bullet pierced the brute's back, and a man with a red ZAFT uniform with a FAITH pin ran in front of him, shoving his pistol under the man's chin. "Sayonara." He pulled the trigger.

"Heine-san!" Adam and Meyrin cried as he dove behind their shield.

"Never a dull moment, is there? Just the way I like it!" He smiled as he put his pistol down. He took off for the machine gun that the man had carried, just as nother one came forward. "Shit!" He said as the rifle was leveled at him.

"Egh!" Adam grunted as he whipped his spare knife from his shoe and hurled it into the forehead of the dangerous man.

Heine smiled for a second as he cocked his new weapon and began firing as he ran behind them, strafing the charging men. He knocked over a second table and took cover behind it. With his weapon he picked off the men that continued to pour from the alleys. What he didn't see was a man emerging from the alley behind him and to his left. "Hey, look out!" Vino cried as he saw the man. In the time it took for Westenfluss to turn his head, three bullets embedded themselves into the evil Natural's heart. The one behind the now smoking pistol was Meyrin.

Heine took out the last of the emerging Naturals, and the gunfire stopped. On the roof looking down on them was the leader. "Kuso!" He reached down and lugged a rocket launcher onto his shoulder. "Why won't you Coordinators die?! For a pure and blue world!"

A shot echoed through the square, and the man fell off the roof, splatting onto the concrete below. "Zulu, Alpha, Zulu, two, nine, five! You're clear!" A man in a ZAFT MP uniform called down from the roof.

"Shank you!" Heine said as he stood up. "We're clear guys. It's safe now."

Meyrin's eyes trembled as she held her position, the gun in her hands still pointing to where the enemy once stood. Adam put his hands around hers. "Meyrin." She gasped suddenly. "It's okay. It's over." Her fingers lost all grip, and the pistol clacked onto the concrete. She doubled over and started to sob. Adam wrapped his arms around her as he whispered into her ear. "It's okay. You're safe now. Nothing else bad is going to happen."

As the sun set over the water, Shinn stood up and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. After he rang it out, he started drying the poor girl's hair. "You okay? Are you cold at all?" She didn't respond as he caught the sight of blood. He knelt down to her leg, where she was bleeding from her ankle. "You must have cut yourself on a rock. Does it hurt?" Being the numb person she normally was, she didn't notice until he mentioned it. At the new pain, she squeaked slightly. Shinn smiled as he rang out the hankie again. He tied the piece of blue-green fabric to her ankle tightly.

By the time the sun had set, Shinn had fashioned a drying rack for his and the girl's clothes out of some large branches. He also had a small fire going. Shinn and the girl sat back to back to make sure they didn't see each others' top-naked forms. He was the one to break the uneasy silence between them. "Are you from around this city? What's your name? Do you even understand me?"

"My name… Stellar. Town… I don't know."

Shinn picked up an unlit stick and prodded the fire. "Uh…Then who do you normally stay with? Your mom and dad?"

"Usually Neo… Sting… Auel. Father… mother… I've never known."

"I see." Shinn lowered his head. "Something traumatic must have happened to you."

"Traumatic?" Stellar echoed as she turned her head.

"Ah, sorry! You're okay now, you know!" He turned his head and looked at her with one eye. 'The poor thing. Hey, she's got a really smooth back. Wait a minute!' He turned away quickly and pulled his legs up to his chest. "Erm… I'll stay right here to protect you."

"You'll protect Stellar? She won't die?"

"Unh!" He turned towards her again. "You'll be fine. You won't die." She turned back to think. "Um, I'm Shinn. Shinn Asuka's my name. You understand me?"

"Shinn?"

"Right, Shinn." He nodded. "Think you can remember that?"

She turned away and clasped her hands together with a joyful smile on her face. "Shinn!" She stood up suddenly, giving the boy a perfect view of her panty-covered posterior.

Stellar rummaged through her drying dress and then turned towards him, cradling an unknown item in her hands. It also gave him a look at her nakedness. His hair stood on end as he turned away, burying his face in his knees. "Umm… that's a bit… well…."

"Hai!" Stellar stood next to him and held her hand out in front of his face.

"For me?" He turned back towards her instinctively, getting an even closer view at her shameless display. Shinn shut his eyes tight and shook the image from his head, blushing wildly. After pausing for a second, he opened his eyes and took the small item. "You're giving this to me?" It was a small piece of pink opalescent shell. "Arigato." Shinn once again turned, and whipped back around a second later, pounding his palm into his forehead. "Agh, damn it! I did it again!" Stellar just smiled and sat back to back with him once again.

Adam stopped next to Meyrin as she sat on a wall, her feet dangling over the edge. The setting sun made it hard to see her eyes, but the rest of her face was total sadness. Adam unfurled a blanket and draped it over her shoulders. After mounting the wall he began to rub her back. The action continued for at least five minutes, but the time was lost between them. Finally, he spoke. "The ice cream place had some good stuff, didn't it?"

"Unh."

"I liked the selection that the music store had. Not often you find vintage vinyl."

"Unh."

"And then there was that clothing store! I swear, if I hadn't pulled you away from all those fuzzy sweaters, you'd have been there all day!"

"Unh." The girl smiled slightly.

"Oh, but that last shop was terrible! Did you notice that all the sodas they had tasted metallic?!"

"Unh." Meyrin started to chuckle.

Adam took a deep breath and held her close. "That was your first time, wasn't it?"

Her laughing stopped cold. "Unh."

"Everyone has to have a first time at some point when you're in war. You know that too, right?"

"Unh."

"Meyrin, I know what you're going through. I was like you, the day I came out of that hole in the ground."

"But when I close my eyes…."

"You can see his face." She nodded. "I know, because I'm the same."

"My chest hurts. The pain won't go away, will it?"

"No. That's the reality of the situation, Meyrin. I'm not going to lie and say that nothing has changed, because the truth is everything has." The girl clenched her fingers so tight her knuckles turned white. "Meyrin, look at me." She lifted her tearstained pale-blue orbs to meet his brown ones. "It's up to you as to if it changes for the better or not. We have to keep going forward."

"I know… It's just…" She put her head down again.

"It's just what?"

"It's just… so cold now. I can't stop shaking." She whimpered as she looked at her hands. "Not even this blanket is enough to keep me warm."

"I see." Adam held the girls' hands in his. "Then let me help warm you, and we'll make it through this together." Meyrin nodded as a tear ran down her cheek. Adam wrapped himself in the blanket with her and they shared a long, necessary kiss.

A boat shone a spotlight into the cave, and Shinn emerged, shielding his eyes. "You activate your emergency beacon when on shore leave? When you pull something, you manage to do it with flair, I'll give you that."

"Luna." Stellar came out of the cave and hid behind the boy, grabbing his arm.

"Uh?" Luna's eyebrows raised in surprise.

As they were taken into the vessel, Luna pulled Shinn aside. "Do you know if she's from Diocuia?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Her past seems to be jumbled in her mind."

"Eh?"

"My guess is she's sort of like me, losing her parents, and going through really rough times. I just hope no one raped her or anything like that."

"You mean you didn't find out first hand?"

"Luna!"

"Okay, sorry, my bad. That was uncalled for."

"Stellar!" Sting called out from the cliff they were on, all of the boat raised their heads.

"Where'd you go, kono baka?!" Auel insulted her absent form with concern.

At the sound of their voices she stood up and looked back. "Sting!"

Within a few moments, their sports car screeched to a halt next to a military jeep. "Stellar!"

"Sting!" The Minerva crew piled out of the jeep.

"Oi oi! That's a red uniform!" Auel whispered the obvious.

"Shush!" Sting hissed. Stellar panted happily as she threw herself into him. "What the hell happened to you?"

"She fell into the ocean." Shinn approached. "I happened to be nearby."

"So that's what happened? I should apologize. Thank you for all the trouble you've gone through to return her to us." Sting acted totally professional.

The jeep turned around. "Well then…" Luna nodded to them.

On impulse, Stellar walked up to the side of the automobile. "Shinn, you're leaving?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah, sorry." Stellar sighed at the news. "But your brothers have you back. So you'll be okay, right?" She let out a sorrowful tone. "Um, oh boy… Hey, tell you what! How about I see you again sometime? 'Kay?"

"Eh?" Stellar looked into his eyes.

"We're going now, Shinn. Okay?" Luna turned to him.

"Ah… unh." He nodded. As the jeep started to move, Stellar took a few steps forward after it. "I'm really sorry, Stellar! But for sure, I know we'll meet again!"

"Shinn…."

"Or rather, I'll come see you!" He yelled as the car rounded a corner.

"Shinn…." She sighed.

"Aaahh, I give up! I was seriously getting worried there, geez!" Auel hopped into the passenger seat.

"No joke." Sting grunted as he shut his door. "Stellar. Oi, we're going."

"Shinn… Stellar would be protected, he said."

"Stellar! Get in the car!" Sting demanded. She complied, getting into the back seat, fingering the handkerchief on her ankle.

"Hey Shinn, heard you had a fated encounter with a damsel in distress." Adam chuckled.

Shinn's soda splashed up his nose as he sputtered. "Sh-shut up! How'd you hear about something like that?"

"Just a little something I picked up from the grapevine. So, was she hot?"

"Leave me alone." Shinn mumbled before blowing out the soda in his nose with a tissue.

"I'll take that as a yes. Heard you were soaked to the bone saving her. Bet you two had to go naked while your clothes dried." Adam squinted at him. The boy being attacked never wanted to kill his friend more in his life. "Oh, but wasn't it nighttime when they picked you two up? You must've had to cuddle with her to share body heat until they came."

"No we didn't!" Shinn finally burst, crushing his can. "I had a fire going!"

"Ah ha! So she was naked!" The citrus-haired boy flashed the victory sign. Shinn gritted his teeth and slapped his forehead, realizing he'd been duped.

Out in lunar orbit, the EAF and ZAFT were engaged in a fairly large skirmish. Explosions covered the emptiness of space. A GINN flew around aimlessly before its battery overloaded, and the suit exploded. The head of a destroyed Dagger came spinning into view of an EAF battleship. The rich creator of Logos sat in his chair staring at the images that lined his wall. "Just what the hell is going on?!" He slammed his iced wine onto his armrest.

The man he was video-conferencing, the President of the Atlantic Alliance, answered as calmly as possible. "You should already know the answer to that. Our plan preparations weren't complete because of the damage from the fall. Even then, we forced the war into being just like you said. All of our attacks have been thwarted and now we're locked in a stalemate. It's no surprise that revolts are popping up around the globe, and the alliance we forged is faltering!"

The man stood up. "The only reason for that is because we don't show them our true powers." He pointed at the President. "The Western Eurasian rebellions are occurring everywhere because you ignored the situations there for too long!"

"But we have our hands full over here as well! You should talk, considering your Phantom Pain hasn't contributed anything major anyway!"

Djibril was about to retort before an idea came to him. "Oh! That's it! ORB!"

"Hmm?"

"We'll send them to the Black Sea and see what happens. Because of our alliance, they must back us up in defeating ZAFT."

In the Girty Lue, Stellar sat up, now awakened from her sleep. She looked at the piece of fabric she was holding. "What is this thing?" She left it in her cradle as she stood up and walked out.

Athrun, Heine, Arthur, and Talia gathered around the map table on the bridge. "Be it Gibraltar or here, we don't know which they'll attack." The captain spoke. "If they're receiving reinforcements, we can assume that it's a retaliatory strike. The Suez route is a supply line that needs to be up and running for them. HQ agrees. There's no choice in this case but to fight them."

"Leaving out the new forces, what does Suez have right now? In other words, what are we going up against in the way of machines?"

"Ignoring numbers alone, there's the carrier we met in the Indian Ocean."

Athrun stiffened as Arthur started to stutter. "Uh… um… the team that uses the stolen units?"

"Right. That's why it's going to be tricky. Most likely they will be there."

Heine leaned over to Athrun. "Stolen units… the Armory One machines, right?"

"Hai. That's right."

"In any case, we'll be called on to sortie. To set up our defenses in the Sea of Marmara, we'll be passing through the Straits of Dardanelles. We'll launch at 0600 hours."

"Hai!"

"Huh!"

"Will this be fine with you?" The captain turned towards the new FAITH officer.

"Eh, of course it will."

"Well then, I'll start preparing for departure right away." Arthur was about to turn back to his station.

"Eh, please do. And Arthur, send Adam with a carrier to retrieve Falcon and its new parts." As the meeting broke, Gladys remembered something. "Oh, Athrun!"

"Hai?"

"This time, the reinforcements the EAF has received, they're from ORB military."

"Ah!" He started back.

"EH?! ORB?!" Shinn was stunned at the news as he stabbed a carrot with his fork.

"Yep. The reinforcements they got are from ORB apparently."

"No way…why is that country…?" Shinn didn't really feel like eating any more.

Early the next morning, as the sun began to rise. Adam went down to the hangar to see what they did with the Falcon and its equipment. The mechanics fashioned one free Silhouette Hangar with a turnstile with all three cones in it. Once a cone was selected, a cart would push it onto Falcon and then launch. Minerva began to move from port as he gave his personal seal of approval. Adam decided to head to the deck and say goodbye to Diocuia. When he exited the ship, he was surprised to see Athrun on the railing. "Ohayo, Daicho. Trying to relax before the battle?" He asked as he leaned against the bars.

"No. It's just that I have a lot of things on my mind right now."

"Eh? Like what? It's not good to be concerned about other stuff before a big fight, right? Talk it out. Let's see if that makes you feel better."

"Well, it regards our enemy in this fight. I'm surprised that you're not as worried as me about it."

"Hmm? We're fighting those EAF Gundams. So what?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Athrun's eyes went wide. "The reinforcements that they got, they're from ORB."

To say that Adam was in shock was an understatement. Each part of his body refused to move. "O-ORB?! They can't… they couldn't… they wouldn't! Chikshou!" Adam slammed his fist on the railing. "Why? Why does it have to be like this? The country I was raised in… the one I loved is now my… my… CHIKSHOU!" He kicked the bar so hard it bent. Adam panted for a few moments. "Thank you for being honest with me, Daicho." He walked away, limply.

Athrun watched him with a solemn look. He held his fist against the rail as Heine walked up to him. "So you were in ORB after the war. I guess that's his story too, that Cancho boy. It's a nice place from what I hear."

"Eh. That's right."

Heine leaned forward. "It's rather nice around here too, don't you think?"

"Hai."

"You don't want to fight, huh? Against ORB."

"Hai." He looked away.

"Then who do you want to fight?"

"Eh?" Heine stared into his eyes with a smiling sincerity. "Well, I don't really want to fight anyone."

"Ah, I knew it! Same as me!" He put his hand against his chest, but his joking attitude ended there. "That's all there is to it, right? Come to learn that. Right now we're in a war, and we're all military soldiers." Athrun looked to the sea below. "Otherwise… you'll die."

Athrun looked at him with sad green eyes. "Hai."

"Dardanelles arrival: 3000." Bart spoke to the bridge.

"Condition Red Alert! Lower the bridge! Anti-ship, anti-mobile suit combat!"

"Condition Red announced! Condition Red announced! Pilots to your units and stand by for orders!" Meyrin's voice echoed in the locker room.

As Athrun zipped up his flight suit, Shinn slammed his locker door shut, and Adam gritted his teeth. As they went to the elevator in silence, Athrun ran after them. "Oi! What's wrong, Shinn?!"

"Oh it's nothing. A whole lot of nothing. Even if we're fighting ORB, they're a part of the EAF now."

They went into the elevator and it started to move. "Cagalli…." Shinn got even more annoyed, but Adam's interest perked up. "That girl wouldn't have let this happen if she was still there."

"Why the hell are you talking like that about her?!"

"Though she's got a long way to go as a leader, she's true to her feelings."

"That doesn't mean shit now!" Shinn punched the wall.

"It matters to me, Shinn." Adam put his forehead against the cold metal. "If it weren't for those feelings, I'd probably be dead right now."

"But you can't run a nation on feelings alone! All the Athhas are like that!"

"Didn't you really like ORB at one point?" Athrun calmly turned his head. "Is that why you're so angry? Because of the path they're taking now, and because at Onogoro, ORB couldn't protect your family?"

"That's not it at all!" Shinn got in Athrun's face. The elevator opened at the hangar and Shinn stepped out before anything else could be said.

"I still like ORB. But if they're really going to do this, then I have no choice but to fight!" He slammed the wall before he pushed off into the hall.

"Mobile suit teams, begin launch!" An announcement rang out on the ORB carrier.

"First, second, and fourth teams, launch when ready!" Murasame and Astray Shrike mobile suits began to take off from the deck.

On the Minerva, the radar was lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Heat signatures confirmed. Number: 20. Mobile suits identified as ORB Murasame and Astray."

"Launch the…" Talia was interrupted as Adam popped up on the screen.

"Captain, let me go out first. As an ORB citizen, I have to see if I can stop this."

"That's rather dangerous, going out alone. I can't authorize it."

"Captain, please. I know what ORB has done for this ship. If I can just get some of them to switch sides or stop fighting all together, then I have to try!"

Gladys sighed. "Very well, but the moment they start locking weapons, I'm launching Savior and Impulse."

"Arigato, Cancho. Meyrin, hook me up with Meteorite!"

"Hai!" The girl said quickly.

"Adam Cancho, Falcon, kissing the sky!" His breaks released and he shot out of the Central Catapult. He pulled a loop and straightened out while his Phase Shift armor shimmered, heading slowly for the mobile suits ahead of him.

"Mobile suits spotted! Number: One! This is… Todoka-san, it's M-3 Falcon!"

"That prototype unit?!" Supreme Commander Yuna Roma Seiran leaned forward.

"Attention ORB military forces. No doubt by now you have recognized my radar shadow. I am Adam Cancho, citizen of ORB. You are currently on an intercept course with the battleship Minerva, where I am stationed. Being a citizen of your country, I do not wish to conduct this battle. The ORB I know has ideals to upkeep and this fight goes against all of them. I ask you now to please turn your ships around and go back to the country I love." Adam flipped the transformation toggle. Falcon's legs extended out of the hatch as it opened. The cockpit receded into the suit as the nose popped off and the wings folded back. The arms extended, and the Meteorite cone split in two. As the wings split in half, the halves of the cone attached to Falcon's shoulders. "However, if you continue on your course…" The hilt and half of the beam blade slid into Falcon's right hand, and the other half slid into the left. He slammed the two halves together and braced Falcon's left hand beside the blade. "I will be forced to defend that ship. I do not wish to fight you. I plead once again for you to reverse your course."

"I don't believe this twerp! He actually things he can change our minds just like that?!" Yuna crossed his legs and pointed to Todoka. "Patch me through to that kid!"

"Hai!"

"Is this thing on yet? It is? Right now? Oh, ahem. Attention pilot of the mobile suit ahead of our fleet, this is Supreme Commander Yuna Roma Seiran."

"Oh, so you're that 'Bastard Yuna' that Cagalli-sama mentioned that one time."

Yuna's jaw dropped as Todoka and his second hid their smiles. "Wh-why you…! Ahem. Your ship has been identified as stolen from our armory on ONogoro Island. The thief of that ship also has been listed as the attacker of Representative Athha. If you do not return that mobile suit into our custody, we will have no choice but to assume that you are that thief and are extremely dangerous. If you do hand the ship over, no harm will come to you."

"And what of my request?"

"If you land, I'll consider considering it."

"Then I must decline, unless you assure me that this fleet will return to Onogoro this instant."

"Then you leave me no choice. Farewell, criminal." Yuna waved as he cut off the connection. "Lock missiles."

Adam turned on the beam in his blade. Gladys gave the order. "Launch Savior and Impulse now!"

"Fire!" Yuna said, and the escort ships launched a multitude of missiles at the group. "Oh, and send out the third squadron. Make sure they take down that suit."

Adam sliced through two of them and avoided the others. Shinn and Athrun dodged the missiles, Savior flipping his buster cannons backwards to blow them out of the sky. "Kuso!" He flew into a formation of Astray. Piercing one with his beam rifle, he rolled away from another that fired a shot at him. Turning around put a third into his reticule, before it was destroyed.

Two Murasame transformed in front of Falcon. He pulled out a boomerang from his left shoulder and tossed it at the one on the right before he charged the one on the left, slicing it down the middle. "Tch!" He grunted as he returned the boomerang back into its casing, the suit it hit plummeting to the ocean below.

Projectile cannons fired at Minerva as it flew straight ahead. Parsifal missiles launched from the ship as the Isolde cannons fired over the port bow. "Circle around! Tannhauser, get an unobscured lock on them!" Gladys was getting serious early.

"Eh?"

"We'll blow them out of the water once we clear the straits. That carrier will still be behind them."

As more ships sortied from the aircraft carrier, Neo just sat back and smiled, watching the show. A Murasame got through Adam and Shinn's attacks. It transformed into mobile suit and fired a shot across Savior's bow. The reciprocating shot bit into the enemy's wing. Shinn whipped out his beam saber and cut two Astray lengthwise. "Why is this happening?!" Adam said as he swung his blade in a circle, cutting hard into two passing Murasame. "I didn't want to fight you!" He grabbed his right boomerang and tossed it into the cockpit of a third.

The hatch on the bow of the ship opened, and the positron cannon moved into position. "Primary phase bank, contact. Output nominal." The ship turned towards the fleet. "Safety released!"

"The enemy is preparing its positron cannon!" An ORB bridge officer yelled.

"Uh! Kaihee! Starboard 20 degrees!"

Adam saw the text message on his screen advising him to stay away from the line of fire. "Minerva, what are you doing?!" He raced back towards the ship and gasped. "STOP!"

"TEI!" Arthur commanded.

A thin green beam lanced from above, cutting straight through the Tannhauser. The weapon exploded, sending everyone on the Minerva flying into the walls. "Nani?!" Luna gasped from inside her cockpit.

Shinn started looking around. "What? Who fired that shot?!"

Hidden in the glare of the sun, a white mobile suit with eight blue wings flew down in front of Falcon, the back of its foot in plain view of its cameras. Adam's sight inverted its colors. "Look out! Mom! Dad!"

"Freedom?! Kira!" Athrun's jaw dropped as much as his helmet would allow.

Freedom's alarms beeped, and he turned his head slightly, seeing the blue and brown mobile suit hovering with its arms at its sides. "Eh? That mobile suit?" He remembered the time in ORB, on Freedom's shoulder. "So it made it all the way out here."

"No. Look out. Say something. Mom. Dad. Look out." As the Minerva landed in the water, it awoke him from his stupor. "Minerva!" Adam hissed. "Who did this?" He turned towards the newcomer. "Ah! Freedom!"

Archangel emerged from the rear, its portside catapult opening up. A mobile suit launched, its Phase Shift armor shimmering into the red spectrum as it got its bearings. It pulled up next to Freedom and hovered in the air, the Athha family crest on its shoulder gleaming in the day's sun. "I am the United ORB of Emirates' chief representative, Cagalli Yula Athha!" All of ORB's mobile suits stopped attacking.

The entire battlefield wore looks of stun. Adam and Athrun spoke at the same time. "Cagalli?!"

"ORB military, stop your combat at once! Fall back now!" Cagalli said to everyone, sitting in her pink flight suit and helmet. Kira kept a watchfull eye, making sure no suspicious movement was left unnoticed.

"Cagalli… why is she…?" Adam thrustered forward. Freedom slipped in front of Strike Rouge and pointed a rifle at Falcon's head. "Woah!" Adam parked it and grabbed a boomerang. Just as he was ready to throw it, a message appeared on his screen: IDENTIFY – FRIEND OR FOE.

A response appeared on Cagalli's screen: FRIEND – GEEZ YOU ARE SUCH Z ROYAL PAIN Z. Cagalli smiled and switched her channel. "Kira, let him go." Freedom lowered its weapon and Falcon slid past. "Sashi buhdi da na, Adam."

"You're right, it has been a while, Cagalli-sama." Adam put the boomerang away. "It's good to see you again, but I didn't think you were a fan of girly pink." Strike Rouge took a playful swipe at him. "Missed me! Anyway…." Falcon turned around and switched to full broadcast. "Fellow citizens of ORB, listen to your representative! This fight is meaningless! 'ORB will not invade another nation. ORB will not tolerate invasion from another nation. ORB will not get involved in other nations' disputes.' These are the three ideals of ORB, and this battle is breaking all of them! I ask you once again, don't go through with this!"

"Uah…" Athrun gaped.

"Ngah. Kghhhh!" Yuna gritted his teeth.

Neo was pissed as he ripped the phone out of its cradle. "Yuna Roma Seiran. Explain this disturbance."

Yuna picked it up. "Uh… um… well… that's…."

"Just who is that? Is she really your Representative? If it is, then explain why she shows up here piloting something as threatening as that, and ordering you to pull out." Yuna's words were caught in his throat. "If you don't reply quickly, I have a feeling that there will be a rather messy conflict between our respective nations." Neo signaled one of his men while he continued to talk. Buzzers sounded in the hangar as the three mobile suits' eyes began to glow.

"Th…this is… well I mean…eh!" Standing up with hatred in his eyes, he yeled into the receiver. "I have no idea who that is!" Todoka and his first officer gaped. "It's an imposter, that girl!"

"Yuna-sama, do you even know what you're saying?!"

The blue haired man gritted his teeth and his knuckles went white as he tightened his fist. "That's Strike Rouge out there!" The first officer spoke. "And that seal is definitely Cagalli-sama's."

"I should know! I should know! I'm her husband, me!"

"Captain…." Arthur turned. "I must insist."

"Just hold it in! You should have gone to the bathroom before the fight!" Talia grumbled.

"Yuna-sama!"

"What are you doing?! Fire at them, you fool! That ship is going to be shot down along with that imposter! Prepare to fire missiles!"

"That boy was right about you… you're such a…" Todoka grunted under his breath.

"If we don't, the EAF will turn on us! Our nation too! We came here for the sake of ORB's honor! So I should just say 'oh, okay' and quit right now?! NO!" Athrun and Shinn looked back and forth between the opposing fleets.

"Captain." Heine came up on the bridge screen. "Just to warn you, I'm going to launch the moment something on their side moves. Hope you're okay with that."

"Eh, please do."

"Target: unknown mobile suit!" Todoka turned forward.

"Todoka-san!" His first officer protested as the entire bridge let out stunned gasps.

"We will remove any force that attempts to confuse us!"

"AH!"

"Just shut up and fire!" Yuna roared.

'I'm counting on you, Freedom.' "TEI!" He barked, and countless missiles erupted from the ships.

Everyone was taken off guard by the attack. Falcon slipped in front of Strike Rouge. "Cagalli, look out!" He pulled both boomerangs from their casings. "In this form, I can't take them all out, but I can still keep them from hitting you, Caga…what?" Adam stopped as Freedom pulled in front of them both. Kira's G-Complex targeting system activated and it locked onto multiple critical points. All five of Freedom's weapons folded out and launched into the volley. The missiles exploded in a chain reaction, leaving none. "What… kind of monster is that thing?!"

The Jones moved forwards into battle. The mobile suit hatches opened up, and the conveyor belts moved Chaos and Abyss to the platform. They launched, Chaos going into the sky, and Abyss going underwater. Windams took to the air. "Kuso! They're back!" Shinn grunted as he picked up the radar shadows.

"Yosh! We have the advantage now!" Neo stood up. "Disregarding that impolite intrusion, the tide has turned in our favor! Minerva is damaged, and we'll sink them for sure today!"

"Arthur, intercept them!"

"H-hai!"

"Meyrin, mobile suits have clearance to launch!"

"Hai!"

"Teeahh!" Sting dove for the ZAFT battle cruiser with a wing of Windams.

"Now go!" Auel cried as his missiles cut through the water. They detonated around the ship, missing it by meters.

Adam and Cagalli were agape as Shinn sprang into action. "Damn you! I won't let you!" He turned around and blasted through a Windam that went under him.

"Eay!" Chaos fired his rifle at Impulse. The return fire missed by inches as Sting slid away.

"Haaahhh!" Stellar jumped onto the deck, firing her rifle at Savior, before turning towards the other airborne suits.

"Tsch!" Athrun hissed.

"Heine Westenfluss, GOUF, igusei." His mobile suit leaned forward as the catapult started to move. He shot out of the Minerva's catapult and unfolded his wings. Ray headed to the side of the ship, defending from the airborne enemies. Luna fired her buster left and right trying to hit anything that moved.

An order was issued to the Astrays and Murasames in flight. "All mobile suit teams, join with the EAF and engage the Minerva. That is not Cagalli-sama! Do not be taken for fools!"

"Not Cagalli-sama?"

"An imposter then?" The Murasame teams propelled forward.

The GOUF's hand went to its shield. "Tch!" He whipped out a small dagger that quickly extended into a sword, two beams activating on either side. He drove forward into a formation of Astray. He drove the end of the sword into one and ripped it out through the side and dodged shots as he sliced a cockpit in half.

"ORB forces, can't you hear my request?! Can't you understand my words?!" Cagalli's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. Heine let his gattling cannon go to work on a Murasame. "Stop fighting now! ORB forces!" A Murasame headed in towards her and lined up a shot. Adam's blue boomerang destroyed the suit before it could fire.

A second one came from above and fired its weapon. Freedom blocked it with its shield. Kira counterattacked, shooting out the rifle. "Cagalli. It won't work anymore."

"Ah!"

"It's a shame, but there's nothing more you can do."

"Kira…" Tears started to well in her eyes.

"Withdraw. I'll do what I can now."

She clenched her teeth as a tear ran down her cheek. "Kira…"

He went to full burn. In the back of his eye, a purple shape similar to a football touched an invisible liquid and exploded into billions of crystals of light and color. His violet eyes became solid as his mind became clear. Freedom's five cannons fired, hitting heads, arms, and weapons with precise accuracy. "Waltfeld-san. I leave Cagalli and Archangel in your hands!" Kira said as he pulled out his beam saber.

Cagalli and Adam looked on with shock. A message beeped on his screen: ENGAGE THE ENEMY. "Enemy? Who is the enemy here? Cagalli, what do I do?" Silence was her only reply. "Cagalli! Damn it!" Adam flipped into jet form and extended his wing sabers, gunning his engines.

"Eeaaahhh!" Stellar attacked the GOUF with the cannons on Gaia's back.

Heine evaded expertly. "Tch, why you!" He turned in her direction and swung his electrified whip at her. It slapped her hard, giving the suit a shock in the process.

Stellar screeched loudly as things crackled around her. She forced Gaia back to its feet in mobile suit form. As she pointed its rifle, the whip wrapped around it. "Agh!"

"This is no ZAKU, boy. No ZAKU!" Heine yelled as electricity overloaded it.

Stellar let go of the weapon and hid from the explosion behind her shield. "Why you!" She pulled out her beam saber and swung at him. The GOUF ducked under the attack and as it stood up again, Gaia backhanded the saber, deflecting off the spiked shield.

"Kgh!" Shinn engaged the underwater Gundam, trying to shoot at it from the air.

"Eay!" Auel looked back and his above-water cannons fired two green beams at him. Shinn got out of the way just in time.

Savior tried to shoot down Chaos as it rose vertically. Athrun fired one final shot before transforming into mobile armor and following. "Tch! My combat abilities are losing to his?! Me?!" Sting looked behind him.

"Why are you doing this?!" Adam cried as he barrel rolled through a Windam and cut an Astray. Two more mobile suits came up behind him. "Can't you tell when someone is telling you the truth?!" Falcon opened up its rear cannon and the orange beam pierced the pursuing suits. "That's the real Cagalli-sama!" Tears streamed from his eyes.

"Kgh!" Ray's pack foxed missiles into two Astray.

"Aay!" Luna's buster cut into a Windam.

Missiles foxed from Minerva's sides. Orders were given, cannons fired, damaged suits plummeted to their doom, explosions coated the skies. The horror of her country in war overwhelmed Cagalli. "We will not attack another nation. We will not allow another nation to attack us. We will not intervene in other nations' conflicts." The words of her father before the siege of Onogoro repeated in her head as the fight went on below her. "We, ORB, have long held these ideals to be sacred and have continued to hold true to them despite the changing times. We do so because we feel they are the most important and fundamental of requirements to exist as a nation." Freedom fired into the head of another MS, as Archangel defended against missiles and mobile suits alike. "Even in this situation, I stand by those ideals. Currently, the Alliance threatens to attack us unless we pick a side. Even so, there is no way we can agree to such demands." Shinn roared as he continued assaulting the ORB forces, and the head of an Astray started to sink into the water's depths. "Giving into them now will eventually bring this nation to become nothing more than an EAF pawn, where we will be forced to fight the enemy of their choosing." Cagalli reared back, trying to scream when no scream would come. Her father's predictions had become true, even if it was years after he had made them.

Freedom fired its shoulder cannons at two Daggers, and those Daggers were instantly minus arms. As Adam passed in front of Athrun while chasing another MS, the blue-haired FAITH officer called out. "Kira!" He tried switching his communications band. "Kira! Kuso!"

Shinn flew forward, his rifle continuing to fire. "Just who is this guy?" Freedom went straight for Impulse, drawing its beam saber. With a quick swipe, Impulse lost its rifle arm. "He sliced through it that easily? What kind of power is that?!"

Adam saw his friend's arm fall into the water. "Hey man, what the hell is that about?!" Adam pursued the white Gundam.

Freedom fired its hip railguns into the water, hitting Abyss in the thrusters, damaging it enough to force it to withdraw. "Eh?!"

"Now you're attacking the EAF!" Adam snarled as he tried to keep up.

Heine turned to look at Freedom quickly. "Just what the hell is he?!" Kira's rifle shot intersected a missile that flew past him. Turning, beams continued to erupt from his custom rifle, taking out a non vital system of a mobile suit each time. "Kuso! You've got to be kidding!" Heine hissed as he stared Stellar down.

"Who the hell are you?!" The girl agreed as she bounded for Freedom.

"Eh!" Kira put on the brakes and whipped out his beam saber, slashing the front paws off the Gundam. Gaia landed on its back in shallow water. "Kira, enough! What's the point of you doing this?!" Athrun vectored in on his old friend.

"Coming out of no where and attacking recklessly…." Heine starled. His GOUF's gattling wrist cannon fired midoric pulses at Freedom. "Don't get cocky, you bastard!" Kira dodged left and right, not getting hit by a single shot, his saber still out. He flew straight passed the orange mobile suit, which was instantly missing an arm. "Nani?!" The wires on the severed limb started twitching wildly.

Adam's shoulders trembled. "EAF, ZAFT, ORB. Daggers, Windams, Astrays, Murasames, ZAKUs, GOUFs, Gundams! You'll attack anything that moves, won't you?! I won't… I won't… I WON'T LET YOU DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!" Behind Adam's eyes, a brown football exploded. He whipped out both his beam sabers and charged the Gundam. "GrrrooooaaaaAAAHHH!"

Kira's alarms blared as the Gundam came down upon him. The eighteen year old with the seeded eyes raised his shield and the beam sabers took their strokes. As adam held them there, they slowly bore into the shield. "This kid…."

"Eeeeehhh!" Adam release the sabers, and they bounced into the hatches on his wings. His mobile suit made fists and started pounding rapidly into Freedom's shield, his engines gunning to give him more power.

As freedom was losing ground from the assault he studied the mobile suit. "His movements are totally different from before." He shifted his rifle towards Falcon. Adam saw the movement and instantly punched the weapon out of his hand. "I see. But you left an opening. Freedom flipped upside-down and slammed its metallic foot in between Falcon's legs. Every male witness gripped their crotches in pain.

The impact started to flip Falcon, turning its back slowly towards Freedom. Adam smiled and slammed his fist on a button. The orange beam erupted from Falcon's back. Kira just narrowed his eyes and hit the throttle, skidding away. Freedom flew above him and saw Savior approaching. He turned his attention towards it for a second.

Stellar raised her head, enraged tears in her eyes. "How dare you?! How dare you attack me?!" She extended her wingsabers on the BaCOE's shoulders. "Gyyaaaaahhhh!" She cried as he launched into the air, her new flight booster giving her extra momentum. Her target was Freedom's back, but Adam's mobile suit slid into view, pulling out its beam blade. "You're in my way!" Stellar's rage was unparalleled as she accelerated further.

Alarms beeped on Adam's console, and he started to look behind him. An orange foot kicked him over. "You idiot, get out of the way!" Heine yelled. His alarms beeped too late, as Gaia's blades cut through the back of the GOUF, straight through the cockpit. "Guhh!" His scream was cut off as he was cut in half, the glass in his helmet shattering. The two halves of the GOUF slid off Gaia's wing and exploded, legs first, then the upper half, the suit's purple eye still shining.

"HEINE!" Athrun cried.

Adam's eyes returned to normal at the sight of the explosion. "Heine?" His mind failed to recognize it until pieces of orange armor fell into the water below. "Westenfluss-daicho!"

Freedom spun around and kicked the black Gundam in the chin, sending it flying back, out of control. Chaos swooped in and picked her up. The EAF forces sent the return signal. "Tch!" Sting grunted.

Kira looked on with his unreadable look in his eerily solid eyes. He stretched out Freedom's wings and headed away. "Heine…" Athrun gasped as he looked down at the smoking wreckage. "Kira!" He hissed.

"Cagalli, we're withdrawing, come on!" Kira said as he took Strike Rouge's hand and dragged her back.

The motion stirred her back to life. "Uh? Adam!"

"Eh?" He looked up from his stunned state.

"Adam, I'll get ORB back to the way it was! I promise! Please, believe in me!"

"I do, Cagalli. I do believe in you… but with this…." He looked down at the wreckage of the FAITH officer that shared his hair color. He sobbed.

Talia watched the withdrawing ship with suffering eyes. Shinn hung on to the side of Minerva with his leftover hand, watching them go, hissing.

'The battle was far away from the Minerva. No, that's not quite correct. It was more of a massacre than a battle, one that cost the Minerva dearly. Thus, it was not far away, but sunk deeply into our hearts as we docked at Port Turkios in the Sea of Marmara.'

The captain stood outside with the chief mechanic, surveying the damage to the bow. A ZAFT soldier ran past her, and she followed with her eyes, leading her to what she didn't want to see: bodybags. At least twenty of them lie there containing salvaged remains, some of which could only be identified through DNA testing.

A ZAFT soldier loaded a few boxes into the back of a truck and shut the door. He turned to the pilots standing next to him, each with a solemn look on his or her face, Adam's being the most of all. The man saluted to them. "That's everything. By your leave, I'll be transporting Heine Westenfluss's personal effects to their rightful owners." The pilots saluted back in unison, saying nothing.

After the truck was out of sight, the five pilots clacked along the bridge access to Minerva. Shinn stomped. "It's all their fault, you know!" He whispered loudly. Athrun looked up to notice the procession had stopped, Shinn balling his fist. "If they hadn't intruded like that…Heine would…!"

"Shinn…" Luna's voice was deadpan as everyone else's.

"Just who the hell do they think they are anyway?! Trying to stop a battle like that… they can't really be Archangel and Freedom, can they?!" Athrun broke his gaze. "What the hell is ORB doing?! Can one country be that stupid?!"

"Stop it." Adam whispered from the rear of the pack, unnoticed until now.

Luna, the only one that heard him, turned. "Adam?"

The others turned their attention towards him. His eyes were dark, unable to be seen, covered in his own hair as he slouched forward, his shoulders trembling. "It's not Freedom's fault. It's not Cagalli's fault. It's not the Archangel, or ORB, or the EAF, or anyone else!" He lifted his face up and let the tears run down his jawline. "The one at fault is me!" Shinn turned back, his anger lost for the moment. "How did it come to this?! What did we screw up?!" He slammed his fist on the railing. "If I had been more aware… more attentive… then Heine wouldn't… wouldn't have…!" He slumped down again. "Excuse me, but I think I need to be alone for a while." Adam raked his nails along the rail as he passed Luna and Athrun.

"Hey, hold up a second." Shinn put a hand on Adam's shoulder. The depressed boy turned one teary eye towards him and slapped away the hand, never stopping his movement forward. "Ad…."

"ADAM!" Athrun yelled at him, and the boy stopped for a second, the other three pilots steeping back in surprise at the outburst. "Don't do something stupid Adam! I don't want to lose another pilot!" Without any sign that he heard, Adam continued his forward motion. "Adam!" The door closed behind the boy. "Adam…."

Shinn's hatred returned with new fervor as he turned back to his commander, pointing towards the closed door. "Just how many lives are they going to screw, huh? HUH?!" He turned and stomped away.

"Shinn!" Luna looked to Athrun, her eyes begging the commander to say something. When he didn't, she ran after the boy. Ray saluted the commander and turned to follow.

Athrun gritted his teeth and let out a long hiss, not believing that the ones that took care of the orphans, and the one he proposed to could do anything like this. "God damn it!" Athrun whispered to himself as he pounded the railing. Nicol, Rusty, Miguel, and now Heine. Too many of his good friends were… gone.

'By all intensive purposes, I should have seen it coming. He had to find them, talk with them in person, and stop them from repeating the foolish mistake again.'

"So this is an executive decision as a FAITH representative?" The captain turned in her chair to the blue-haired boy.

"Hai."

She let out a small chuckle. "If that's the case, I can't stop you." She paused before standing. "Very well, I understand your position. I approve of your leave from this vessel."

He smiled and saluted. "Arigato gozaimasu."

Meyrin pressed the open button, and Adam's door slid aside. The boy looked up from his curled up position on his tearsoaked bed. Upon seeing his love, the floodgates began to open once again, and his convulsing sobs sent him to the floor. The girl ran up to him and cradled his head against her chest as the door closed

Savior was launched out of the starboard hatch and the power cable released. Instantly it spun into jet form and flew off. As Shinn, Adam, and Vino watched it go, Luna ran up to the commotion. "Nani? What's going on?"

'I should have seen it coming. Someone who shared the same feelings, the same friends, and the same desire. Maybe that's why it was me that the captain picked… to follow and spy on my own commander, with Lunamaria to back me up. Maybe it was the right thing he was doing, trying to talk them into changing their position. If he believed it strongly enough, he'd go through anyone to do it. I suppose that means I really was the right person for the job, because though we agree on the result, the methods aren't the same.'

Hiding deep in ocean ruins, the ashitsuki battleship sat in wait. Kira sat in a hot tub modeled after some hot springs, an apparent modification while the ship was overhauled. He sat quietly, not really paying attention to anything for a while. It was a retreat where he could ease the pain away. On the other side of a false bamboo fence was Cagalli, in the ladies' tub. She wasn't enjoying it. It didn't make the pain go away. Her head still pounded with the sounds of explosions. The door slid open and Lacus, with her hair haphazardly put up, eased herself into the bath.

Lacus cupped her hands together at the surface and shot a stream of water at Cagalli. "Ubgh!" She grunted, snapping out of her depression. As Lacus giggled, Cagalli instinctively shielded herself from more attacks. "What are you doing, Lacus? Knock it off!"

"Well, you had a really sad expression on your face." Kira looked towards the fence. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering if we did the right thing."

"_Kira! Please let us launch!" Cagalli balled her fist on the bridge. "I know it seems foolish right now, but if we can do it, this battle must be stopped!"_

"First, decide."

"Eh?"

"Then, follow through." Lacus's pain was apparent in her voice. After all, her father was murdered in the first war, by troops under Patrick Zala's command. Kira was the one to comfort her then, like she had given to him many times before. "That's the only way to accomplish anything in this world. I'm sure."

"Lacus…." Cagalli had looked back as Onogoro base was destroyed, self-destructed by her father, who stayed behind to do so. She realized that she and Lacus were more alike than different.

"Ne?" Lacus smiled softly. Kira leaned back and tried to relax again.

"Unh. Arigato." Cagalli said before she stood, padding her way out of the bath.

Athrun checked his black convertible's GPS as he drove. He passed a girl of eighteen with sandy blonde hair as she waited to cross the street. After a moment, he recognized the figure, and hit the breaks hard. "Miriallia!" He called.

"Uh?" The girl halted mid-step.

"Miriallia Haww?" He stood up in his seat and pulled off his sunglasses.

"Ah. Athrun Zala?" The girl blinked her turquoise eyes.

Shinn was raised to the runway of the central catapult. All four of Impulse's parts ejected and quickly formed together. Shinn was off, with Ray's ZAKU riding an MS battle jet on his wing. "Well then, let's go." The blonde radioed him.

"Yokhai." Shinn said, still groggy from the morning preparations, increasing his engine output. "But why'd they give us some lame recon mission? Minerva still isn't battle ready."

"This was HQ's orders. Shut up if you want to complain."

"Hmph."

In the setting sun, a mobile suit with a white head and blue wings broke the surface of the water, staying low. Kira parked Freedom in a cave big enough to hold it. He and Cagalli, in their civilian clothes, climbed up the rocks to level ground. "Kira!" A voice called to him, and the sandy-blonde haired girl ran down to meet them from her rented jeep.

"Miriallia." Kira spoke as they met her halfway.

"Sorry. I didn't want to surprise you, but he's returned to ZAFT."

"To ZAFT?" Of the stunned twins, Kira was the first to speak.

"Athrun did?" His sister's disbelief was apparent as well.

"I knew it would have raised suspicions, so I didn't put it in the message. But he wants to see you again, both of you." Miriallia looked away in shame, and the siblings took in yet another gasp.

A red jet approached them from the sea and passed overhead. "That unit…" Kira recognized the one that didn't fire on him.

The jet spun into a mobile suit and landed a few meters away. The cockpit opened up and Athrun dismounted. He approached the group in silence, stopping a few feet in front of them. "Kira…. Cagalli…."

"Athrun…." Kira spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice.

The long silence that followed was broken by Cagalli. "What the hell is this about?! Athrun, you…!" She pulled up to within inches of him. He looked away in shame. "Why did you do something like going back to ZAFT?!"

Lunamaria had an electronic ear dish pointed at them from a cliff higher above them. Adam plopped down next to her. "Hey."

"You're late."

"I couldn't just let Falcon be seen landing, so I had to park her further off. So sue me. What are they saying?"

Lunamaria plugged in another set of headphones and handed them to the boy. "Now shut up, I'm trying to listen."

"Because I thought it was the right thing, not just for myself, but for ORB too."

"Eh?!" Cagalli took a step back. "Just how does ORB get…."

"Cagalli." Kira gripped her shoulder tightly.

"Uh… Kira."

She shut up and stepped aside. The two friends stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. "Is that your machine?"

They both turned to the red hunk of metal. "Ah."

"So, in the fight the other day…"

"Ah, I saw it. Right now, Minerva is where I'm stationed."

"Eh?!" The twins gasped in unison, realizing the mistake they had made.

"When I saw you, I tried to talk with you, but it wouldn't go through."

"He tried to contact them?" Luna whispered.

"Why didn't he just relay it through me?" Adam spoke to himself.

"But why'd you do it? A stupid stunt like that? The battle turned into chaos, and because of your presence, people died that didn't have to." Kira winced at the truth.

"'A stupid stunt'?" Cagalli raised her voice. "Back then, who was ZAFT about to fire at? The ORB military! We were trying to prevent…."

"Like you actually believed that ORB would quiet down just because you randomly showed up and ordered them to?!" He snapped back, forcing her back a step. "You're wrong if you think that's what you should be doing! Before ever stepping foot on the battlefield, you shouldn't have ever let ORB sign that treaty!"

"That's…" Cagalli balled her fist. Athrun's eye caught the ring that he gave her, and turned away.

Lunamaria looked at Adam, who was biting his lip tightly. "You want to go down there, don't you?"

"Of course. Cagalli is down there, and so is Daicho. But more importantly," He motioned towards Kira. "If he's Freedom's pilot, then I have a few things to say to him."

"Well then, why don't you?"

"Eh?"

"Go ahead. I won't put it in the report, just as long as you can get down without blowing my cover."

Adam swallowed. "Ah! I brought my cell! I'll just call her up and… auda?" He felt his pocket. "It must be in my pack." He started searching as the conversation resumed.

"I get that Junius Seven caused a cataclysm, but the madness in its wake were the Alliance's wrongs! Even now, PLANT is trying to end this meaningless fight as quickly as possible! But what the hell are you doing?! The situation is in chaos when you show up!"

Kira squinted. "Is that really true?"

"Huh?"

"PLANT, is that really what they are doing? That Durandal-gichou is…." Athrun stiffened, already knowing what's to come.

"Aha! Found it!" Adam rubbed his cheek against the precious orange object.

"Then, what about that Lacus Clyne?" Athrun's, Luna's, and Adam's movement completely halted. "Right now in PLANT, just who is that Lacus? I know it's not mine."

"Th… that's…." Athrun was running out of words.

"And also, why would the real girl be nearly killed by a Coordinator group?!"

"Ueh?!" All three of those that didn't know gasped.

Ray and Shinn approached the specified coordinates. "There it is." Beyond the trees stood an inconspicuous looking facility, in fact, it looked rather drab.

"'Nearly killed'… what do you mean?" Athrun didn't know what to think or feel.

"In ORB, we were attacked by a group of special ops Coordinators and their mobile suits laid siege to the mansion. Their target was Lacus." Kira's eyes narrowed. "That was why I piloted Freedom again."

"No way…" Athrun gasped.

"That girl's death, who would it benefit and why? Until I find the answer, I don't think PLANT can be trusted!"

"Kira!"

In the red morning sun, Ray and Shinn entered the facility, weapons drawn. It certainly looked abandoned. The mansion was totally overgrown with ivy. There were strange metallic pillars that attached to nothing, possibly some kind of artwork, as they were also intermixed with interwoven tubes of solid metal sticking out of the ground like trees. The checked each of the corridors carefully.

One rusted door Ray had to force open. When he entered, he saw cylinders in the dark room. He gasped as Shinn hit the light switch, and equipment was revealed that he didn't recognize. "What the hell is this place?" Ray didn't answer, his face shaking with a paralyzing fear. Cylinders, bright lights, Durandal talking with a blonde man. His memories flashed through his mind at breakneck speeds. "Uh? Ray!" He collapsed to his knees as the Impulse pilot ran up to him The blonde started to hyperventilate, his breaths getting shorter and faster with every passing second. "Ray! What's the matter, Ray?! Ray!"

Lunamaria was near paralysis, her eyes wide open. "A second Lacus? An assassination attempt?"

Adam's jaw dropped at the news, and his phone slipped from his hands. "Agh!" He reached for it as it started to clatter down the embankment. His foot slipped on a loose rock and he fell forward, his headphones slipping off his skull. As he caught the phone he slid down, tumbling towards the group below.

"What the hell?!" Athrun said as he whipped out his pistol. Kira jumped back and did the same.

As the tumbling figure came closer to them, Cagalli caught a flash of orange. "Don't shoot!" Adam slid to a stop, his face in the dirt in front of them. "It's Adam."

The said boy didn't get up. He just raised a finger to the sky as he spoke. "I am okay! The x-rays on the other hand may prove me wrong!" He flipped over and spat out dust as the four gathered above him. "Now I know how Sheridan feels. Oh hi Cagalli-sama. Hey Daicho."

"Adam…." Athrun's fist shook. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Oh that? The captain ordered me to tail you. Couldn't say no to that, but she didn't say I couldn't come in contact with you." Adam sat up and brushed the dirt out of his hair and off his face, spitting again.

"When I get through with you…!"

Cagalli helped Adam to his feet and started dusting him off. "You actually tailed Athrun? That's not an easy task." They looked at each other. "It's good to see you again, Adam."

"Same to you, Cagalli-sama. I never got to thank you properly for Falcon. You have no idea how many times it's saved me." He shook her hand like a proper gentleman, before turning towards her brother.

"Eh?" He blinked at his determined stare.

"You're the pilot of Freedom, right?"

"Ah." The brunette returned.

"I was the pilot of Falcon, that blue and brown Gundam you fought the other day." Kira's eyes widened for a second. "But I don't want to discuss that. I want to thank you."

"Uh? Thank me?"

Adam nodded. "For that time during the siege of Onogoro."

"You're…" Kira searched his memory. "Uh?! You're one of the three that Calamity was targeting!"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I'm sorry about your parents."

Adam went rigid and wide eyed for a moment, the color scheme in his vision inverting for a half second. However, he calmed down quickly. "Well, don't worry about it. They're none the worse for wear, hiding underground in ORB."

He turned back to the blonde. "This dude is kinda weird, Cagalli."

"Well, that's my brother for you…."

"Eh? Brother?! You?"

"Fraternal twins. It's kinda hard to explain."

"I've got time." Adam folded his arms.

As the two friends conversed, Kira watched the boy intently. There was something about him that just didn't seem right. He wondered if his recollection of events had been mixed up, but he was certain.

"By the way, what was that equipment you had on Falcon during the battle? My computer almost didn't recognize it. And where is the bird anyway?"

"Oh that? I got it from a parts merchand down in Eurasia. He was kind of weird, but at least he gave us a good deal. As for Falcon, she's parked a little bit away." He turned towards his commander. "Couldn't let Athrun here know I was…" The eighteen year old's disturbed thoughts caught his eye. "Tailing… him."

Athrun put his knuckle to his lip as he thought, his memories of the Chairman and Mia throbbing in his brain. "Athrun?" The blonde raised him.

"If the target… was really Lacus, then it's truly a horrible situation." He put his hand back down to his side. "But to say the Chairman can't be trusted, or PLANT can't be trusted based on that alone, don't you think that's jumping to conclusions, Kira?"

"Athrun…." Was the boy's only response, taken off guard.

"In PLANT, there are many different humans. Like the Junius Seven culprits, it could be there was another group the Chairman didn't know about, right?!"

"Egh. That might be true…." He looked away. Adam looked back and forth between the childhood friends, trying to compete between the validities of their arguments.

Shinn booted up Impulse's screens. "I don't know what's going in there, Meyrin, but Ray just had some kind of hyperventilation attack. We can't investigate further. We need hazmat and security teams up here now. There's something odd about this place."

"Yokhai. I'll relay this to the captain. We'll be there soon enough. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit shaken up." He turned off his screen. "You'd better hurry." He said under his breath, zooming in his cameras to the blonde sitting against a pillar, staring into the rising sun.

"In either case, I'll look into it once I get back to the ship."

"Eh…." Cagalli peeped.

"All of you need to go back to ORB."

"Eh… then you… then you're not returning with us? Not Archangel? Or even ORB?"

"ORB… if it can return to the country I knew, then our path will wind up the same."

"Athrun!"

"I've re-enlisted! I can't go back now!" He looked away, suffering.

"That can't…." The princess's brother nearly startled her as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"That leaves a question open though, Athrun. You as well, Adam."

"Eh?" The Falcon's pilot was surprised to be spoken to directly.

"Are you going to keep fighting as a ZAFT pilot against the EAF?"

Both boys turned away and their minds filled with memories of the previous battles. "Before it ends, it can't be helped." Cagalli's eyes trembled, and Miriallia sighed.

"To protect her… no, the ship too… to protect them all, I'll still fight." Adam balled his fist.

"Then, just like last time, ORB too?" Kira looked at Athrun with begging eyes.

Athrun couldn't look him in the eye. "If it were my choice, I wouldn't fight at all! But back there we didn't have any other choice!"

"Everyone on the Minerva was hesitant to battle them! When I heard about it, I was in tears!" Adam grit his teeth.

The twins gasped as Athrun continued. "Don't you know what the EAF has been doing in this area?! Someone has to stop them!" Cagalli turned away, biting back a tear. "That's why you need to change the situation and go back to ORB!"

"Kgh…"

"Daicho… that's too much…." Adam whispered to himself.

"But, Athrun." Kira spoke just loud enough to be heard.

"Eh?"

"Even if that's the way it is, we don't want ORB getting involved in this."

"Kira!"

"In reality, it's not just against ORB." The Freedom's pilot turned to Adam. "The ones lost in battle will never return."

Adam's color palette inverted, but he shook it off as fast as he could. "I've already dealt with that!"

The blue-haired boy balled both his fists as images of battles past flooded his mind. "Don't you even dare spit those pretty little words at me!" It took both of the siblings back, and Adam swallowed. "Do you have any idea of how many peoples' bloods are staining your hands?!" It was a jab no one was ready for, and even Athrun realized that he took it too far.

"Unh. I know." His voice was barely audible. "That's why I've become sick to my stomach about these things."

"Kira…."

"I don't want to fight. I don't want to be made to." Kira seemed on the verge of tears, and Luna did too, still listening from above, before she turned to her chopper, a transmission light blinking on it.

"Then that's even more of a reason not to do it! So stop fighting and go back to ORB! Get it?" He turned away. "Adam, let's get back to the ship."

"Uh?" Adam stood there, dumbfounded as to what just happened.

"Athrun!" Cagalli went after him a couple of steps.

The boy stopped and looked over his shoulder, at the ring she still wore on her finger. He turned back around, his silence cutting into her more than words could, walking up to Savior's winch. "Adam, let's get moving!"

"In a minute. I still have a few things I need to clean up."

"Suit yourself." As Savior took off, he took one look behind him and let the pain touch him for a moment. Savior transformed into its jet form and flew away.

"Athrun…" Cagalli sighed as she watched him go.

"Cagalli-sama." Adam walked up to the group, sighing, before turning away.

"Adam!" The princess turned around. "What about…."

"Please don't ask me to come with you." He looked up at her, a tear running down his cheek. "You have no idea how torn I am between the two of you, but I can't leave Minerva, Cagalli-sama."

"Adam…" her eyes quivered for a moment as she stared at his tearful brown orbs. "Okay, just promise me one thing. Don't call me Cagalli-sama and quit being so formal! Geez, we're friends after all, right?"

Adam chuckled a little as a small smile appeared on his face. "Okay, Cagalli. I think I can deal with that." He wrapped his arms around the girl, taking her slightly off guard. "Thank you, Cagalli, for everything. Let's hope next time we meet, it will be under better circumstances."

"Yeah. Sayonara, Adam." The boy released her and started walking away.

"Adam." Kira said, and the boy halted. "You never answered my question. Will you fight ORB again?"

Adam took a deep breath and sighed. "The ORB that I know and love is not the one out there right now. If they continue on their present track…." He shot a glare over his shoulder. "Then they're my enemies!"

As the three remaining people down below took a step back, Luna was slackjawed. "Adam!" She whispered.

"And if you try to stop us like you did before, then you'll be one too, Kira, regardless of what you did for me. If that isn't what you want, then change ORB before something like that happens." Adam started to walk again. "Change ORB before it can't cross to the correct pass anymore."

Minerva had landed in a large courtyard outside of the main building that Shinn and Ray had entered. It took them some time to set up an operations control center outside, and by the time everything was done, the sun had already set. "Interior's check complete, ma'am. All self-destruct mechanisms have been disarmed. There are no signs of bio-hazards."

"That so? Thank you…." Gladys said through her ponderance.

"If that's so, I wonder what caused Ray to act that strangely." Arthur mused out loud. Inside the infirmary, Ray slid the shutter open and grabbed his coat.

A call came in from Bart. "Captain. Savoir and Falcon."

"Uh?" As Shinn and Ray emerged from the ship, Falcon and Savior switched to mobile suit modes and landed next to Impulse and the ZAKU.

"Roanoke-taisa!" At the Suez base of the EAF, a man saluted the colonel, who was inspecting Gaia with Stellar.

"What's up?"

"It's about the Lodonia Laboratory."

"Hmm?" Neo broke away from Stellar and came closer to him.

"There was an accident, and disposal had failed. To make things worse, ZAFT now occupies it."

"Mmh! Oi oi!" He flinched, Stellar's ears picking up the conversation even from their distance.

Later, walking with her comrades, the conversation resurfaced. "Lodonia Laboratory…"

"Uh?" Sting blinked.

"Eh?" Auel leaned against the doorframe.

"Ah… what is it?"

"Lodonia Lab? Isn't that…?" Sting was the first to comment.

"Yeah, that's where we used to hang out." Auel shrugged it off and went towards the vending machines.

"What's with that all of a sudden?" Sting followed.

"'To make things worse, ZAFT now occupies it.' Neo had…"

"Wha?" Both boys were startled as they turned to look at her.

As Adam went inside to change into his uniform, Athrun, Shinn, Talia, and Arthur all went inside the facility. What they saw was horrid. "Uuuhhh!" It was the only thing Arthur could get out as he covered his mouth with his arm. Flies buzzed in their ears and craws perched on the pipes above them. Talia covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. There was blood everywhere, Dead bodies strewn across each other, some in lab coats, but many small children as well. Shinn and Athrun tried to comprehend it all as they slowly went forward, examining the bodies with their flashlights. Arthur's foot hit an empty glass vial that started rolling to the side. "Huuaaah?!" Startled, he turned his light towards the source as it hit the wall. "Whew." He sighed. Unfortunately he raised the light, revealing a naked child hanging from the ceiling behind the cracked glass. "Guuuaahhh!" The others moved the lights around the hall, illuminating more of the same, almost showcased on the sides. "What the hell… What the hell is this place?!"

Outside, Ray's sensitive hearing picked up his echo from inside, turning towards it. He stared at the track leading to the entrance as Adam walked up. "Hmm?" The orange haired boy follwed his gaze. "The captain and the others went in there, didn't they?"

"Hai."

"Well, I'll be going in too. Keep our sixes clear, okay?" He raised his hand before dashing inside.

"Mutiny, may have broken out here." The captain swallowed her bile before it could make its way up her throat. "They tried to destroy the facility before it happened."

"But… why are all these children…?" Arthur let the statement hang as Talia raised her light to a door that said SECURITY CONTROL ROOM.

A crow cawed as Athrun knelt down, gently brushing a dead girl's hair out of her face. He gasped and turned away. "Her eyes, they've been…" Athrun couldn't even finish the sentence.

Shinn took one look and finished it for him. "…gouged… out. KGH!" His brows quivered as he hissed. They moved on to the next room as the captain sighed.

The four entered what seemed to be an office with computer terminals, but the decoration on the sides of the room were strange. Glass boxes filled with liquid and fake brains lined two of the walls. As they stepped around the few bodies that were there, they studied a brain wall closely, none of them saying a word. Adam stuck his head in between Shinn and Athrun. "What are we looking at?" he whispered. All four recoiled, not hearing him come in, Athrun and Shinn poised to fight hand-to-hand. When they realized it was Adam, they smacked him on the head in turn. "Ow! OW! What was that for?!"

"Don't scare us like that!" Shinn spat in his face.

"If you do that again, I swear I'll shoot you!" Adam shook his fist at the boy.

Gladys sat at the nearest terminal and started typing, the others snarling at Adam. The computer buzzed a result. "Eh?" Athrun went around to look over her shoulder. "CE 64.7.11: Failure confirmed. CE 64.8.7: Disposal completed." She read from a child's record that was pictured.

"Just what are you reading?" Arthur walked up to join the two, as Adam searched the casing some more.

"An entry and destination record for test subjects. In other words, for the children back there!"

"Uh… guys…." Adam stared at one case. "Th-this one is labeled 64.8.7."

"Eeehhh?!" Arthur spun around. "You mean these aren't fake?!"

"64.8.8, 64.8.9, 64.8.10." Adam went down the line. "They're all in chronological order!"

"This isn't an office! It's a reference library of failed experiments!" Talia gasped. "EAF's Extended. You've all heard of it before, right?" Athrun gasped at her screen, which displayed Clotho Buer, and the schematic of his machine, the Raider Gundam. "Out of their hatred of genetic manipulation and desire to destroy it, Blue Cosmos and the Alliance created them using drugs and other inhuman torture. Living weapons, humans trained for the sole purpose of fighting. This is a research and development facility towards that end."

As Adam opened up another terminal, the others gulped. "It's more than that, Captain." He said, scanning through a file. "I'm thinking this was also to be a base of operations once a reliable technique was found and a large enough force was produced."

"Why do you say that?" She stood up and walked over to his side.

"I just found a list of all the Coordinators living on Earth." Adam slammed back in his chair in surprise. "Even us!" He looked up to his best friend.

"Us?" Shinn gasped. "Our names are on there?" Adam nodded.

"A hit list! These were the targets!"

Sting came up behind a stressing Auel and hooked his arms around him as Auel struggled to get out the door. "Geez woah! Hold on and calm down, Auel!"

He broke free as Stellar looked on with trembling eyes. "Why should I?! How can I stay calm?! At the lab, mother is…!" He completely froze, his turquoise eyes dilated, and he started to tremble, remembering a woman with a blonde woman with a kind smile. "K-kaasan…." His voice was barely audible, and Sting instantly noticed the change in his demeanor. Auel brought his hands to his face, his eyes filling with tears. "Kaasan… at the…"

"OI! Baka! AUEL!" Sting clamped his hands on the boy's arms, trying to rouse him.

He collapsed to the floor and doubled over. "Kaa-san is…. She's…" He threw his head back and yelled with everything he had. "She's going to die there!" Stellar gasped at his words as he continued to break down. "Mother… I can't handle it!"

"She'll die?" Stellar's voice came in a trembled whisper. She walked past them both in an almost robotic state.

"Hey come on! Pull yourself together, moron! Ah, geez!"

"Kaasan!"

"She'll die? It's bad to die. It's scary." She stopped in her tracks. "Mamoru…" A quick vision of a boy with black hair and red eyes ran through her brain. "Protect!" She ran in silence.

"Colonel!" A man found Neo in the hall, as Gaia jumped off of the Jones' launch deck and hit the road, literally.

With a quick burst from her booster, she jumped onto the main road and galloped around the cliff in canine form. "Haaaaahhhhh!"

Neo stepped into the hangar. "Complete idiots! Why did you let her…?" He stopped as he surveyed the damage. The mechanics didn't let her out, she forced her way out, the twisted metal smoking where she blasted it. "Some deity must really hate me." Gaia ran through the trees, cutting them in half with its wingsabers.

Bart came up on the Captain's laptop. "Captain. Mobile suits: one. On approach! It's Gaia!"

Upon hearing this, the three present pilots ran to their respective suits. "Is it alone? Any reinforcements?"

"At the moment, none."

She picked up a radio. "He may attempt to break through to try and destroy it. Make sure he doesn't get near the facility!"

"Hai!" All three said in unison.

"Gaia…" Adam whispered as his systems booted up. _Alarms beeped on Adam's console, and he started to look behind him. An orange foot kicked him over. "You idiot, get out of the way!" Heine yelled. His alarms beeped too late, as Gaia's blades cut through the back of the GOUF, straight through the cockpit. "Guhh!" His scream was cut off as he was cut in half, the glass in his helmet shattering. The two halves of the GOUF slid off Gaia's wing and exploded, legs first, then the upper half, the suit's purple eye still shining._ "That mobile suit… that pilot… is going to die tonight!" Falcon leapt from his position and transformed, pulling ahead of the others.

"Dying is bad… Protect!" Stellar grunted as her radar alerted her of his presence. "Haaaahhh!"

Adam strafed the ground with his vulcans, but Gaia jumped out of the way. Falcon switched to mobile suit and drew its beam sabers. Adam dropped on top of Stellar as Gaia switched to MS, blocking his downswings with her shield. "Eeeehhh!" Adam grunted as they deadlocked. Stellar swept out the metallic monstrosity's legs, sending Falcon off balance. Gaia swung its shield into it hard, knocking the suit away. It once again switched to BaCOE mode and booster-jumped towards the other two approaching units.

"Why you!" Shinn snapped as he accelerated. Gaia fired its overhead cannons, which he pulled back to evade. Shin tried firing a shot, but Gaia was too close, hitting his shield and bounced even higher into the air. "Gyaaahhh!"

As Gaia landed, Savior fired its beam rifle, setting off explosions near the girl. When seeing an opening between them, her canine form leapt. The faster Savior sliced off her beam rifle. "Uuhh!" Flipping over, she fired her other weapons.

"Shit. This is getting us nowhere." Adam grunted. His radar detected a small something headed his way, a small helicopter. "Lunamaria? Of all the times!" Adam raced into the battle coming from above.

Savior fired its buster cannons at the black creature as it dodged Impulse's saber swipes. As they singed Stellar's side, Adam came down with a beam saber from above. "Haaaaaahhh!"

Gaia turned back into mobile suit, swiping its own saber upward, sending Falcon's arm flying. "Nani?!"

Falcon's attack distracted her from Impulse. "Geeeeeeyy!" Shinn came up from below. Before Stellar could react, the suit's chest was sliced open vertically. She screamed before the force sent the black suit flying back, where it skidded to a stop in the forest. When it didn't move, Shinn sighed and used his cameras to look inside.

"Uh? A girl?" Athrun did the same.

On a hunch, Shinn magnified his camera. "Hoohhuu!" He slammed back into his seat. "That girl… Stellar!" Falcon landed at Gaia's feet and turned its back towards it. "Falcon?!" Adam opened up its rear cannon port. "Adam, what the hell are you doing?!"

"This monster killed Heine. I'm disposing of it." Adam stared at his communications screen with enraged determination.

"Adam stop!" Athrun yelled as he hovered over them. "She has no way of fighting back! There's no need to blow it up!"

"Like it blew up that GOUF?! She deserves this!" Adam reached for the firing button. His alarms beeped, and Impulse gave the blue and brown robot a swift kick to the head. "Aagh!" Adam missed the firing controls and Falcon was thrown away from Gaia. "Who's side are you on, Shinn?" Adam growled as he got back up.

"I'm not letting you destroy it! I'll never let you!"

"Damn you!" Adam pulled out his beam rifle. "Heine's murderer is right behind you, and you don't want to destroy her?! Get out of the line of fire or else I'll shoot you too!"

Savior dropped down and sliced Falcon's blaster in half. "Adam, stop being unreasonable! Don't you remember what I said? 'Killing because someone was killed… being killed because you killed… is that twisted thinking really going to lead to peace?'"

Adam gritted his teeth and his hands twitched against the controls. "Daicho…!"

"Return to base before you do something rash. Think over what I've said."

"Tch!" Adam spat, turning Falcon around. "Adam Cancho returning to base." He lifted off and headed for Minerva.

Shinn leapt onto his winch as Savior turned around to face the stolen unit. "Shinn?" Athrun blinked as his cockpit opened, unbuckling himself.

"Stellar." He had her on his knee and held her hand, as she slowly came to a semi-conscious state. "Why was it you…?"

She coughed. "Dying is bad. It's scary… protect…."

"Egh!" Shinn stood up with her in his arms as he mounted Impulse.

As Athrun jumped onto Gaia, he saw them rise up. "Shinn!"

The captain called over the radio. "What's wrong, Athrun? Situation report."

Athrun slammed back into his seat and turned on his radio. "All fighting has ceased. However, Shinn is… he's heading for the Minerva with the injured enemy pilot!"

"Eh?" Arthur overhead the conversation.

"Did I hear you right?!"

Shinn burst into the infirmary, panting from the burden in his arms. "Doctor, this girl! Hurry! Treat her!"

"Eh?" The nurse muttered.

"What's the commotion?"

"That uniform… isn't she an EAF?!"

"Even so, she's hurt badly!" Shinn laid her in one of the hospital beds. "I'm begging you!"

"I'm afraid… protect…." The blonde whispered, her eyes staring at nothing.

"However, I can't treat the enemy without the Captain's permission." The doctor said matter-of-factly. "I've gotten any such notifications."

"Then do it in my name! I'll get your order, so hurry!"

"Can't die… not like…."

"Stop being hypocritical in your Hippocratic Oath and do your job! Are you just going to stand there while she might die on us?!"

At the word she hated more than any ZAFT soldier, Stellar twitched. She got up slowly. "Dying? No… no dying! Uuaaahhh!" She dove on top of Shinn, slamming him into the opposite bed, jumping back and knocking a medical table out of the way.

As she threw the doctor to the floor, Shinn got up and yelled. "Stop it, Stellar!"

She responded to her name and jumped the boy again, wrapping her hands around his neck. She threw him across the floor. As the nurse approached with a hypospray, she whipped around and began choking her. Soldiers piled into the room, with the Captain, Athrun, and Luna close behind. Shinn gasped as he recovered from her attack. "Stellar!" He ran and ripped the blonde away from her victim.

Gladys pulled back slightly at his action. "Stand by." The soldiers lowered their weapons.

"Uh! Shinn!" Athrun was stunned by the chaos.

Stellar was sitting on the boy, flailing madly to break free as his arms hooked around her shoulders. He was barely able to overpower her. "Gomen, Stellar! This is my fault!" She screeched madly as she failed at prying him off. "It'll be okay, I'm telling you! Calm down!" Her elbow managed to hit him in the cheek and Shinn spat blood.

"NO!" She cried at the top of her lungs as she convulsed one last time before passing out in his arms.

From between Athrun and Talia's shoulders, Luna stared at them, wide eyed. 'That girl?!'

About an hour later, Stellar was strapped down to a gurney with strong leather restraints. "By my educated guess, this girl is an EAF Extended." The doctor gave his examination report.

"Whaeh?" Shinn's eyes trembled at the news.

"We performed a routine examination on her, and well… here are the results." He handed the captain a pad with the report. "Various substances have very abnormal levels in her body." He wasn't exaggerating, most of the results were at least triple the normal amount, with some going even higher. "There are also some foreign compounds that shouldn't exist in any human."

"So this was an artificial creation? Drugs?"

"That's my guess. Unless we get to a more specialized facility, I can't treat her." The doctor couldn't finish his thought as the girl in the bed opened her eyes.

"Stellar." Shinn bent over her with a calm smile. She slowly turned towards him.

Her confused look turned angry. "Who the hell are you?!" Shinn gasped. "This place is…!" She tried to get up, but the straps stopped her. She started to twist, turn, and buck, struggling to break free.

"Ah!" Shinn stepped back, and the nurse yipped.

"Everyone stay clear." The doctor ordered.

"Stellar…!" Shinn stared at her fight in disbelief. The severity of her thrashing increased, and her nails dug into her palms, splattering the bed with blood as she bucked. Not being able to stand seeing her torture herself anymore, Shinn threw himself upon her. "Stellar! It's okay now! Stellar, it's okay now! I'm right here, so calm down, please! You know me, right?! It's me! It's Shinn!"

The name made her stop completely, moving her still stressed eyes to observe him. A memory of a handkerchief on her leg came to her brain, making her skull burn. He stared at her with a soft smile. "I don't know… I don't know any bastards like you!" Shinn shot up as Stellar began to struggle, slamming her head to the bed. "Neo! NEO!"

"Stellar…."

"This girls brainwave patterns aren't normal either." The doctor prepped a hypo. "Her memories and consciousness have probably been manipulated as well. You can't break these. Give it up or I'll have to sedate you."

"Eh?" Shinn gasped again, finally understanding what he said.

He put the nozzle against her leg and pulled the trigger. Within a few seconds, her eyes rolled into her head. "I don't like it… this place is…"

"Her memories are gone?!"

"Neo…."

"No way… that can't be!" Shinn found himself hitting a terminal, not realizing he was backing up.

Neo stared at the empty third cradle as the technicians mercilessly erased the girl from the two remaining Extendeds' memory banks.

Shinn stepped into his quarters dejectedly, and the door slid shut. "You piece of shit!" The boy found himself facefirst on his bed, his right cheek sore once again. He pushed off and saw that his sheets would need changing. A hand roughly flipped him over on his back. Adam held him by the cuff of his uniform, his free hand in a fist. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to a pulp!"

"For what?" Shinn just looked up at him without feeling.

"Don't play dumb with me! You've forgotten about all the lives that girl has taken, haven't you?! You've betrayed the memories of all that were lost because of Gaia!"

"Have I?" He continued, truly pondering the question.

"Yes! Yes you have, you bastard! Heine was a good man, better than the both of us, and she's the one that killed him! Athrun is right, revenge isn't the answer, but can't you even hate her?! You showed her something she'd never show us: KINDNESS! Do you really think that will actually be repaid?! She destroyed our friends, damn it!" Tears rolled out of his dark brown eyes. "What was going through your head when you saw her, huh?!" He shook the Impulse pilot.

Shinn's head tilted towards the small glass jar on the table with her gift. "She doesn't even remember me anymore." A tear ran down his face.

"Ho-how dare you?! HOW DARE YOU SHED A TEAR FOR THAT MONSTER?!" Adam completed another punch to his face.

Shinn took it in stride. "She was so innocent then. How could she be a killer?"

"Tch!" Adam let go of him and turned away. "I give up. It's useless talking to you. All you do is cling to that damn prissy cell phone looking at those dumbass pictures like it's your entire world!"

Shinn jolted up and gritted his teeth. "What are you trying to say?!"

"I'm saying your life must've really fucking sucked if you need a cell phone to remind you of it!" Adam found himself on his bed a half second later. "Well that got your attention, didn't it?" He sneered as he wiped the blood from his lip.

Shinn stood over him, his knuckles white on his fist. "You shouldn't have said that! Take it back!"

"Like hell I will!" He swung into his stomach, sending him backwards. "Face it, Shinn, their bodies have long gone cold!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Shinn lunged for Adam, slamming him into the wall.

"Guah!" Adam grunted as he hit, his arms raised high. "KGH!" He balled both of them together and brought them down on his shoulder. Shinn released him and he planted one foot on the bed, and the other straight to Shinn's chest. "Stay down like the traitorous dog you are!" Shinn gripped the leg. "Uh?!"

"HeeaAAAHH!" Shinn hurled Adam into the bathroom door. He panted, covering his chest. "You went too far, you fucking prick! I'm gonna tear you apart!"

Adam plopped down on his feet, slouching forward from the pain in his back. He heard a couple of quick footsteps, and he looked up only to see Shinn's fist plowing into him. As he rolled with it, he smiled. He grabbed Shinn's head, and with all his strength, plowed it into the wall. "Puh!" He spat as he jumped back. "I'm not the weakling I used to be, am I Shinn?!" The boy turned his head as he glared at Adam. "What's wrong? When you lost your family, did you lose your strength too? You've gone soft!"

"THAT TEARS IT!" Shinn turned around and threw a punch. Adam did the same, and with their free hands, they caught the punch. They intertwined legs, as they fought against each other, trying to overpower one another. They slammed foreheads, gritting their teeth. "ADAM!"

"SHINN!"

The door slid open, and after a couple of gasps, Meyrin and Athrun rushed in, tearing them away from each other. "What the hell are you two doing?!" Meyrin squeaked.

"This is between him and me, Athrun! Don't interfere!" Shinn grunted as he struggled against the man's grip.

As Adam tried to go after the boy, Meyrin dashed in front of him and spread her arms wide. "Meyrin, step aside. This doesn't concern you!"

"Like hell I will! You're fighting your best friend!"

"Best friend?! HA! Why would I want to be friends with a traitor?!"

"I'm not a traitor, damn it! I was helping the innocent girl I met in Diocuia!" Shinn yelled over Athrun's shoulder.

"Got tell that innocent bit to Falcon's arm! Oh wait, it's at the bottom of the ocean by now! Gaia sliced it off!" Meyrin struggled to keep him at bay without hurting him. "I have an idea. Why don't you tell all of the families of the people that girl has killed?! I'm sure THEY'D believe you!"

"You son of a…!"

Two resounding slaps echoed through the small chamber, Meyrin's and Athrun's hands splayed open. Meyrin balled her fist as Adam turned towards her in shock. "Get over it! I don't care what the hell the problem is! Right now you're really scaring me!" She turned towards Shinn. "Do you feel better now that you've slugged it out?! Proud maybe?!" She turned back to her boyfriend. "Did this even solve anything?! Look at yourselves! Look at what you've become!"

Shinn and Adam just huffed and turned away from each other. Athrun looked between them and sighed. "Get your butts down to the infirmary, right now, at the same time. You won't fight in the hall. You won't talk to each other. You'll only reflect on what just happened here. Got it?" The door opened and Athrun held it there. "If there's any conflict between the two of you, I will personally knock you out and drag your asses there! Now MOVE!"

Meyrin moved aside as Adam stepped forward, emotionless. Shinn turned towards him, and Athrun prepared to jump in between again. Instead, Shinn snatched up the glass jar and turned around, exiting. Meyrin followed them a few footsteps behind, but she stopped at the door next to Athrun. She sighed. "That was too close."

"Ah."

Shinn pressed an ice pack to his face as he walked to Stellar's bedside. Adam watched on from the other bed with a glare. "Neo…. Neo…." She sighed in her sleep.

"Isn't there anything left of me in your mind?" Shinn gripped the jar with her treasure in it. The nurse that treated them both left quickly as he knelt down next to her. He placed a hand on her forehead. "How could you have been Gaia's pilot?" Adam's cross look melted into an observing one as Shinn caressed her cheek. "How could they have put you… in that lab?" Tears welled in his eyes.

The heat of his touch awoke her. "Shinn?" She whispered. His eyes opened wide, and his tears stopped completely. Adam also straightened in surprise. "Shinn."

"Stellar!"

"You came to see me, Shinn?" She looked at him with the eyes she had shown him when she gave him her precious gift.

Shinn smiled happily. "Unh. Stellar!" Adam's mouth opened slightly at the scene. "Y-you remember me?"

She nodded slightly. "It just took… a little time." Shinn's smile grew wide. "Shinn."

Adam slowly got up and walked to the door. "I promised we'd see each other again."

"Shinn… why's your face puffy?"

"Ueh? Well, uh… that's…." The door closed behind Adam.

He pressed his bruised back against the doorframe and slumped to the ground. "He and I are no different." He tapped his fist to his forehead. "I'm such a fool."

Deep in the ruins long lost to the rising seas, sat the ashitsuki vessel, motionless. "EH?! No! You can't go and do that, Lacus!" Kira gripped her hands tightly as they stood on the observation deck.

"Kira!" She blinked in surprise as Pink-chan bounced around the room.

"Into the sky on your own?! Don't joke about that!"

She showed him a calm smile. "Kira, everything will be fine. Kira."

"No! I said you can't!" It was a long time since his face had shown this kind of worry.

"But I'm the only one who can go."

"Tyandei! I won't accept that!" The Haro flapped.

"What is moving right now? What will move in the near future? What is it we should do?" As she asked, Waltfeld watched Mia's performances, bored to tears while trying to think up a plan. "We can no longer afford to be in the dark." In her room, the Strike Rouge's pilot stared at her ring as she lay in bed. She buried her face into her pillow to fight off the tears and struggle in her mind. "Cagalli-san is going through some horrible feelings right now, but the ones involved in this war aren't just ORB. Athrun has a kind and reasonable character. You are the one who knows that best."

"But…but you should at least take me with you!"

"Kira…" She shook her head. "That won't do. Your place is here, for Cagalli-san and Archangel to be protected."

"But Lacus…" He drew her into him, holding her tightly. "If you…."

"We've got a problem!" Once again the Haro was ignored.

"I'll be just fine, Kira." She whispered as she nuzzled his neck.

In the Diocuia spaceport, the pink-haired pop idol sat, a line of ZAFT soldiers holding white boards. "Lacus-sama's shuttle launch has been moved up. Once preparations are complete, we will commence launch." The PA system echoed, as she squeaked a marker. "All personnel, make it top priority."

"Hai!" She handed it back to the man.

"Thank you so very much!" He bowed. "I'm honored!"

"No problem. Next please." She smiled, fixing her simple purple summer dress.

Outside, a bright pink limo pulled up to the lot. The nasally voice of Mia's agent rang out as he exited the vehicle. "What? Why isn't anyone here to greet us, yan?"

Mia exited and pouted. "Geez. I'm standing right here and there isn't even a welcome party?"

Two soldiers exited the waiting room. "Uah?" One squawked as he saw the second girl. "L-Lacus-sama?"

"What are you doing over here?"

"Eh?"

As the shuttle took off from the runway, Mia bounded through the hall to the control tower, somehow managing to not knock herself out. "We're screwed, that's the real one, yan!"

"Excuse me?!" Mia shot him a glare.

"Eh? Uh, no no! I mean this is the real one, yan! The one out there is an imposter, yan!"

"Launch the mobile suits at once! Stop that shuttle now!" The order went out. GaZOOTs rolled out of the hangars, firing large anti-air missiles. The brand new purple BABI units took to the skies, firing beams and missiles at the civilian spaceship.

A mobile suit with eight azure wings fired its five weapons into the cloud of missiles, detonating them all in one shot. The shuttle remained unharmed. Freedom rocketed towards the units, drawing its beam saber. As it passed, two Babi's heads flew off. More fired their core cannons at the ascending suit, but it barrel rolled twice each way before sending five more blasts into the, disabling, but not destroying them. Drawing his beam saber again, Kira tore into the remaining suits wings. He descended into a hailstorm of GaZOOT bullets and beams, Avoiding each projectile with ease. His hip cannons unfolded and lanced two electrified bullets into the area, putting up a smokescreen, effectively disabling their attack.

The nuclear powered suit flew straight for the control tower. "What the hell, yan?!" Freedom gave them quite the sendoff as he broke the sound barrier right in front of their windows, breaking the glass.

He went back up to the sky and caught up with the shuttle. _"I too will be just fine."_ She looked back at him with tears in her eyes.

"_Lacus!"_

"_I promise I will always return to be by your side."_ Kira stared up at the ship.

As the sun began to set over the EAF port, also occupied by ORB, in his sealed room, Neo had a videophone conversation with his boss. "You know I'm not the kind of person to gripe about things already passed." Djibril spoke as Neo tapped the glass his pet rainbow fish swam in. "But I won't accept successive failures either."

"Eh."

Outside, Sting and Auel were playing one-on-one on the deck of the ship. "Heh. Here we go!" Auel dribbled on the deck.

"Go where?" Sting blocked him as the blue-haired boy turned his back.

Auel did a fakeout and roll, breaking away. "Ha! Going here! It's up!" The ball was slammed into the hoop. "And it's good!"

"Could you for once give me a report that isn't full of crap, please? Otherwise our schedule will be taken completely off." Djibril looked at the Destroy Gundam's schematics, just as one of Durandal's spies brought the same data to his screens. "That Coordinator ship is being hailed as a champion of justice only for the fact that they continue to win." Minerva left port for Gibraltar. "This time for sure, Neo, sink Minerva. Don't forget that you're there for that sole purpose."

On the Minerva, Athrun sat on the edge of his bed, finally getting a chance to work through what happened. "Hagh!" He grunted, unhappy with the results.

"Grrreeeaaahhhh!" Adam screamed as he sat up, awakening from yet another nightmare. His hands gripped his sheets tightly as he caught his breath. Sweat dripped down his face. Shinn just watched him in surprise. "Son of a…!" Adam slammed his head back into the pillow. "At this rate… why have they gotten worse?!" It was the last thing he said before he fell asleep again.

The next day, Stellar was put on oxygen, her suffering form getting worse by the second. Shinn sat in his flight suit on his watch. Adam came in with a soda and sandwich, not letting duties get in the way of his lunch. When he saw the boy sitting there with a pained look on his face, Adam swallowed the morsel in his mouth. He sat down at his normal seat and watched him carefully. Eventually he sighed and began to speak. "Look, Shinn, about yesterday…."

"She's going through some kind of withdrawl, and a very severe one. The doc says the worst case scenario is quite possible. You'll get your wish, Adam. She'll die."

"I… Shinn… I…."

A surveillance Murasame sent data back to the main fleet. "Ship detected! Distance: 60! Bearing 11 o'clock!"

Todoka and his second gasped, and the klaxons rang. "Soyin, taisen youui! I repeat, all hands, prepare for combat!" The general announcement was made as personnel ran every which way.

On Minerva's bridge, Bart's screen lit up. "Ahead, ships located!"

"Eh?" Gladys leaned forward.

"Bearing 11 oclock. Distance: 50. ORB Military! Carriers: one. Escorts: three." Meyrin winced from the info as she scanned her monitors.

"Is that Alliance carrier or Bogey-1 with them?"

"Confirmation is impossible."

"Look for it especially. Widen your search, quickly! No way they'd leave ORB unattended."

"Hai!"

"Shield the bridge! Condition Red declared!" The captain ordered.

"Hai!" Meyrin quickly turned back to her station. "Condition Red declared! Condition Red declared! Buzzers ran out in all corners of the ship. "Pilots stand by in their units!"

Adam never got the chance to finish his statement. "Eh? The enemy, now?! Then… is it ORB?!"

"Shit! Of all the times! Let's move!" Shinn got up and dashed out the door.

On the ORB carrier. "Team one, team three, and team five, launch complete!"

"Distance to target: 40. Within firing range."

Todoka looked ahead blankly. "Has Minerva sortied any of its mobile suits?"

"None as of yet!"

"Yosh! We've won!" Yuna cried as he leaned forward. "Let's clean them up with a long shower of type-eight shells!"

"Artillery crew, simultaneous volley of type-eight shells! Fire!" Explosive shells launched from the ships. The CIWS cannons on Minerva spun up quickly. As the missiles were shot down, they exploded into even more deadly smaller projectiles, riddling its gray hull with dents and holes. The glass of the upper bridge shattered, and the hailstorm from hell hammered away at the armor protecting the lower bridge. The entire ship shook like mad.

The smoking ship was like a signal flare to the others. "Contact with more ORB vessels! Number: three!"

"Ehh?!" Arthur gasped as he sat up.

"Yosh! Let's move!" A Murasame squad commander, one who fought Athrun at the coast of ORB, banked his ship to attack. His wing followed.

"From 2 o'clock. ORB Forces, Murasame: nine!" Meyrin reported from her station.

"Send out Shinn, Athrun, and Adam. Asteroid Cone and Blast Silhouette! Tristan, Isolde, target portside!"

"Hai!"

Neo looked on from behind his mask. "Even though this mission can't avenge you, Stellar, that ship will be sunk today!"

"Sting Oakley, Chaos, hashin saru!" The green Gundam took to the air.

"Auel Neider, Abyss, deruyo!" His boosters gave him a jump and enough time to transform before hitting the water.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, ikkimas!" His little blue jet gunned its engines and was out of there. The large green and red Blast Silhouette gunned its single forward-thrusting engine and catapulted forward after the other flyers launched.

"Athrun Zala, Savior, hashin saru!" His red mobile suit barrel rolled its way out of the damaged starboard hatch.

"Adam Cancho, Falcon, kissing the sky!" The gray jet punched its way out the door with its brand new cone.

Adam swooped around Shinn as all of Impulse's pieces formed up, transforming himself. The Blast Module's guidance pod jettisoned and barrel rolled away as the hulking green object laser-guided itself onto the shoulders of Impulse. The Asteroid cone split in two and attached to the shoulders of the M3 ORB prototype. A thick cable clicked together between the two halves behind its back. Falcon's blue and brown phase shift armor shimmered as its telescopic multi-phasic beam cannon extended from its right side shield. Impulse's color scheme changed to black and blue as the armor enveloped it. Shinn gunned the engines and surfed the water, the module being too heavy to fly. "Eeehh!"

"Right there!" Auel breached the surface, transforming into MS and sending all seven of its beam weapons towards Impulse.

The skidding MS dodged the attack and reciprocated with two pink and blue blasts from the small ends of the module and the rail guns on its shoulders. The blue beast dove back into the water. "Kgh!" Athrun grunted as he stared down Chaos.

"Tshey!" Sting grunted as he stared down Savior. They spiraled around each other, attempting to get enough of a bearing to make a hit.

As Murasame headed towards Minerva, Adam came up at them from below. Falcon grabbed his weapon with both hands and its pink and blue beam lashed into the attack run, taking out two ships and clipping a third. "No more second-guessing this time! You're my enemy once again!" He opened his missile hatch on the left shoulder and foxed two to finish off the third suit.

"ORB Fleet at nine o'clock is still approaching!" Bart reported as he continued his scans. They launched countless missiles at the ZAFT ship.

"Arthur, arm anti-ship missiles. Get Luna and Ray to coat the skies in a barrage. Get Adam in on it too."

"Hai!"

As explosions were set off above the ship, Gladys examined the map. "They're using Kurata to pin us against. Tch. Not good! If we try to dodge one fleet, we'll catch the other's fire." Missiles launched and Adam and Luna combined their buster cannons' attacks to ensnare the enemies' attacks. "There's no retreat. We'll have to break their lines!"

Auel burst from the water. "Heh! So green's your color of choice today? Here, have some green yourself!"

"Uh!" Shinn turned to face the Abyss just before its shoulders spread apart, unleashing their energy payload. He gunned the throttle and skirted away as articulately as possible. His counterattack shot just high of the blue submersible suit as it transformed and plunged into the water.

"That won't hit me!"

The Blast pack's railguns fired two pairs of electrified shots into the water, quickly avoided by the dangerous vessel. "That pilot…" Shinn's thoughts dwelled on Stellar and everything encompassing her. "They're the same, I knew it!"

"I'm getting really sick of that ugly mug of yours!" Auel spun to the surface and fired all of his weapons.

"Uh!" Shinn's alarms went off, and he shut down his engines. Impulse touched water and slowed, the blasts just barely going over its metallic head. With the danger cleared, the heavy weapons machine broke the surface once again.

Auel drew his short scythe. "Today for sure, die!" As the blue enemy dove at him, Shinn whipped out his beam trident, and they clashed in a shower of sparks.

A Murasame transformed beside Savior, but it was too close. Athrun slashed off his wing and rifle hand, warped metal flying everywhere. _"Even if that's the way it is, we don't want ORB getting involved in this."_ "Ungh!" Athrun grunted at the memory. "Keh!" A Murasame switched to mobile armor form and went at him. Savior transformed and rocketed away. He rolled as he pulled up, avoiding its machine guns.

"Oi oi oi! You even awake in there?!" Sting teased as he fired a rifle shot.

Athrun pulled up hard. The strain sent his thoughts into the past again. _"Then who do you want to fight?"_ His last conversation with Hiene Westenfluss.

"Quit running from me!" Sting fired rifle and bullet rounds at the rolling armor. Though distracted by the Murasame, he still managed to dodge.

"_Come to learn that." Athrun looked to the sea below. "Otherwise… you'll die."_

"_I don't want to fight. I don't want to be made to."_

"KUSO!" He hissed, whipping around and charging, firing his rifle and blocking with his shield.

Adam's respective battle was doing no better. "Shit! Not my day!" His mobile suit opened its shoulder casing and fired four missiles into the air. One of them hit a Murasame in the head. The other three self-detonated, spreading a smokescreen of fire in a circular pattern. As more mobile suits flew behind the cloud for cover, Adam gripped his telescopic cannon with both hands. Forcing back the lock, he fired the blast into the cloud, sending three suits into oblivion. A green blast passed over Falcon's shoulder. "Kuso!" Adam hissed as four Astray closed in from the opposite side. His mobile suit spun vertically, returning to mobile armor. His engine gunned as he charged the group, doing a roll and scattering missiles into the air.

The Minervan turrets turned towards a charging formation of Murasame. They dove into the line of fire, dodging the hot metal shrapnel. "Eeeehhhh!"

"Ah!" Luna gasped as she lifted her beam cannon to bear. Ray's silent anger was etched on his face as he fired as many shots as he could. The squad foxed all of their missiles. In breaking the attack run, two were pierced by bullets. The side of the ship was caught in a massive explosion.

The Blaze ZAKU Phantom was caught in the explosion, and was now missing a left arm and shield. Ray played with the controls. "Get up. Get up!" He growled as his screens came back online.

Babai, the leader of the squad, closed in during the chaos, transforming into humanoid form right in front of the armored bridge, pointing its rifle. "Ah!" Adam disengaged from his fight and headed straight for the Minerva, his arm outstretched. "MEYRIN!"

From above, a streak of green energy lashed through the rifle from above, detonating it before it could fire. Babai had no choice but to back off. Freedom appeared out of the sun's glare, beam saber in hand. Two of his squad wound up missing wings as Kira passed. "Eh?!" Arthur's jaw dropped to the bulkhead. "Freedom?!"

"Kira!"

The red and pink Strike with a lion marking on the shoulder came up from behind the nuclear suit. Adam's eyes went wide. "Cagalli?! Not again. Not again!"

"Knock it off!" She broadcast. "ORB! Cease fire this instant!" Archangel's Gottfried cannons drew a line in the sand in front of the advancing ORB fleet.

"Tch!" Neo spat from his spectator's seat.

"Takemikazuchi, just who is your commander?!" Cagalli grunted as Babai snarled at the intrusion.

"Just like before, these guys…!" Flames of anger were ignited in Shinn. Athrun grunted as he gritted his teeth.

"Remember ORB's ideals! If you're not protecting them, why are you in this military?!"

"Why are you always… out here… SPEWING SUCH BULLSHIT?!" Shinn turned his suit towards the new addition and fired missiles from his Blast pack.

Talia, Murrue, and Todoka all gasped at his actions while Cagalli went wide eyed. "Shinn!" Athrun cried too late as Adam lowered his buster to intercept. Kira moved to the front, machine gun bullets erupting from Freedom's skull, starting a chain reaction. Freedom drew his beam saber as its thrusters tore through the smoke spread by the explosions.

"Kgh!" Shinn grunted.

"Kira!" Athrun turned and headed in his direction as fast as his mobile suit would take him.

Shinn fired his cannons at the enemy, but Freedom pulled high of them. "You as well! DON'T SHIT WITH ME!" A red football-like structure appeared in front of his eyes and burst into millions of facetted crystals of light. His eyes became a firey red as he entered berserker mode.

Kira swiped his beam saber at Impulse's neck, but it leaned back. The violet-eyed teen gasped. Impulse was on its back, caressing the water looking eye to eye with Freedom. "Him too?!"

"HhhaaAAHHH!" Shinn yelled as Impulse swiped its trident upward. Freedom pulled back and peeled away. Impulse stood itself up on the water and waited for the next attack.

The attack never came as Savior approached, its beam saber and shield at the ready. "Knock it off, Kira!"

"Athrun!"

Beam met shield as the two clashed. "I told you to stop this and head back to ORB, didn't I?!"

"Egh!"

Falcon flew past Strike Rouge as Adam tried to shake off two tailing Murasame. "Don't you learn at all, Cagalli?!"

"Adam, you…"

"I looked up to you as being rather smart!" Adam did a loop in midair and caught the two enemies right where it counted on the way back down. Adam looked at her through flying bits of armor and stringy cables. "You're proving me completely wrong!"

Auel smirked as he rejoined the fight. "I don't really get it, but it doesn't matter since you always come when you're not welcome to the party!"

"Keh! KUSO!" Impulse shoved his trident into the water and missed. Abyss broke the surface and fired its rear cannons. Impulse fell back to avoid.

Freedom pulled backwards as Savior attempted to slash the mobile suit forward and back. "Pull back, Kira! Your power can only add to the chaos on this battlefield!"

They passed in front of Cagalli's eyes. "Athrun!" Kira grunted over the radio.

Sting laughed as he came in from above. "I've got you both, bastards!" He squeezed the trigger twice quickly. The two best friends caught it in the corner of their eyes and broke away. Sting turned towards Athrun, but Freedom came within meters of the suit. "Ah!" Kira's eyes narrowed into slits as he took a sweeping strike with his beam saber. Everything above and around the cockpit was hacked off. "Gyaaaaahhhh!" Freedom broke away as Sting fell back towards the ocean surface. What was left hit the water and skidded along its back. "Booster. Booster! BOOSTER!" Sting struggled with the throttle, and it finally shot back into the sky back to the JP Jones.

"Kira!" Athrun was stunned. "Hhh!" Shinn spun around in circles, trying to get a bearing on the speedy underwater suit, not noticing Freedom closing in from above. Athrun fired across his path. "I said stop it, Kira!"

Shinn looked up for a moment, observing the two once again. His proximity alarm went off again. "Just where are you looking?!" Auel burst from the water. It sent its beams directly at Impulse.

Shinn's clear mind made an instantaneous plan, and he let the Blast pack take the blow. The moment before it exploded, Impulse detached the pack, using the force to propel it to match Abyss in height. "HhhaaaAAAAHHH!" With all his might, he javelined his beam trident.

"Nani?!" Auel gasped as he watched the three-pronged beam approach, piercing the cockpit. Abyss fell backwards, sinking slowly into the ocean. His cockpit filled with water and cables. Soon the inside of his helmet filled with water, stained with red as it passed over his open eyes. He lurched forward as an explosion reached the surface, sending a large water spray into the air.

The JP Jones lost its signal. "Auel!" Neo gasped at the screen.

Adam's jaw was agape. "He actually got one on his own!" Athrun and Kira looked on in horror.

Impulse righted itself as it waded. "Minerva! Force Silhouette! Deuterion Beam!"

"Hai!" Meyrin confirmed.

"Wait, hold up!" Adam sent out a call. "Send me Meteorite too! I'll try to disable some escorts after I get a recharge!"

"But we don't have a delivery system!" Meyrin said.

Shinn paused for a second, then brought down his keyboard and started typing. "The adapters are universal. Just stick it on the guidance pod and it'll be fine!"

"You don't understand! With the different mass and aerodynamics, the autopilot would need a correction that would take a week to program!"

"Or not." Shinn pressed the send button.

Meyrin blinked as new code came up on her screen. "What the…? Um, uploading program now! Opening Falcon weapons hatch. Meteorite selected. Cone attachment confirmed? It's working! Force/Meteorite Silhouette, catapult launch!"

The new combo Flyer spread its wings once ejection completed. "Shinn, you take the first linkup!"

"Roger!" He confirmed as the two halves broke away. The red and black flight pack attached to the back of the mobile suit. The new plugin changed the Phase Shift to red, blue, and white as it rose into the sky. Impulse armed itself with the beam rifle and its shield split open. "But you take the first charge!"

"Deal!" The beam cannon folded back together, and the cable linking the cone behind Falcon's shoulders retracted. The seals unlocked and the two halves merged together in the sky. The Flyer's cone split in half and fell onto the mobile suit's shoulders. The autopilot swooped into the Asteroid Cone and began to return to base. The Phase Shift spread across the new equipment like a wave, and Falcon joined the beam blade halves together. "Meyrin, hit it!" He flew up to a targetable height.

"Deuterion Beam, fire one, irradiate!"

The narrow energy beam met Falcon's forehead spikes and power coursed through them. Adam's power gauge filled up. "All right! Shinn, you're up!"

Babai noticed what happened. "We can't let it get another shot! Does anyone have any missiles left?!"

"Sir, I do!"

"Everyone, cover him. Take that weapon down!"

"But we don't have clearance for that, sir!"

"If we don't, then we'll have to deal with two fresh mobile suits! Now do it!"

"Sir!" They turned towards the ship and gunned their engines.

"Incoming Murasame from port bow high! Number: seven!" Meyrin screamed. "Ray, you've got incoming!"

"I see them!" He turned towards the attackers and fired away.

A CIWS bullet cut across the missile-carrying ship. "That was close! Babai-6, fox one!" He pressed the button, but nothing happened. "It's jammed!"

"Deuterion Beam, shousha!" Meyrin announced as Impulse flew into position. It hit the panel with the model number on it.

"Everyone break off! I'll take this down alone!" The Murasame pilot yelled.

"Reolio-san!"

"For ORB!" He gunned the engines. "May our lion continue to roar!" He crashed his ship into the Deuterion Cannon. The missile exploded, knocking the Murasame clear before it too, blew itself to hell. Meyrin was thrown against her station as the bridge was shaken.

Shinn's gauge stopped climbing. "Only halfway?"

"Damage report!" Talia demanded.

"Deuterion Cannon FCS down. No response from the operational crew." Meyrin answered. "The cannon itself seems to be intact."

"Heavy damage to engineering decks in that section!" Arthur got the report.

"Minerva!" Shinn appeared on screen. "Can you finish the charge?!"

"Negative. Work with what you have until damage control can get it back up!"

"Understood. Let's go Adam!"

"Yokhai!" They flew off into a veritable swarm of mobile suits. Shinn fired into two Windams, their cockpits sizzling before they exploded.

Adam's Falcon went towards the nearest escort ship. "Incoming mobile suit from twelve o'clock high!"

"Shoot it down! Hurry!" Their main projectile weapon moved into position and shot a shell.

Falcon slid to the side and held out the blade, slicing the shell in half. Adam raised the sword over his head. "GrrooooaaahhhH!" He swing downwards as he passed, slcing the bridge and cutting into the missile stash in the loading bay. They detonated and blew a large hole in the ship.

"All forces continue your attack on Minerva. I repeat, all forces continue your attack on Minerva!" The order came from the ORB carrier.

"There's your clearance! Don't let Reolio's sacrifice be in vain!"

"Sir!"

"Agh!" Cagalli gulped as missiles and cannon shells exploded around Minerva once again.

"All units follow me!" Babai ordered.

"Stop it now!" Cagalli yelled, her golden eyes alive with passion as she blocked his path.

"Uh! Cagalli-sama!" His Murasame transformed in front of her while the others broke off.

"Why does that ship need to be attacked by ORB?! Hold your fire! They were never enemies in the first place! ORB must not shoot at those that weren't enemies!"

"Cagalli-sama! It IS her!" One of the wingmen said.

"No, but isn't that a fake?" Another looked back at the suit.

"Tch!" Babai twitched on his controls. "Move out of the way!"

"Uh?!" Cagalli and the rest of the squad gasped.

"This is an order, given from the leader of our nation, Yuna Roma Seiran!" His Murasame made a fist. "It is the will of our country, and thus, our duty to obey as soldiers of ORB!"

"Oumai!"

"Even if it has gone out of our control, we must follow the path we were set to!" As he said this, Adam sent a spray over a raft of survivors. A Windam came up behind him and he tossed a boomerang into it, sending both halves onto the rafts. "Do you understand me?!"

"Eh?!"

As CIWS fired, another missile penetrated Minerva's defenses and exploded on its starboard catapult hatch. "Has damage control gotten into the Deuterion Cannon yet?!"

"Negative. There's too much debris in the halls."

Tristan cannons fired. A Murasame was torn apart. Orders were yelled. Valiants were fired. Todoka looked away from the carnage. "But…."

"Please retreat!" Baby's gray-brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"Eh?!"

"Since we left our country, we were prepared to die here!"

"That doesn't have to…."

"If you don't move, then I'll have to do it by force!" His Murasame dove forward, grabbing Strike Rouge's rifle arm and throwing her back towards Archangel.

"Aaaaaahhhh!"

"Cagalli-san!" Ramius gasped.

Kira fired a shot across Savior's bow. "Cagalli!"

"Uh?!" Athrun gasped.

"Observe our tears we shed, and the honor we displayed here today!" Babai cried as his Murasame folded back into armor form, gunning the engine. "CHARGE!"

"Sir!" The others acknowledged.

"Why you!" Lunamaria's gun heated the air in the sky. The enemies danced around it.

"All of you, stop!" Cagalli watched in horror.

The closest Murasame fired four missiles into the starboard side of the ship. "AaaAAAGGGH!" Lunamaria was caught in the explosion, her beam cannon sent flying.

"Lunamaria!" Ray turned towards her.

"Onee-chan!" Meyrin's eyes teared up in shock.

"Wha?!" Both Talia and Arthur turned towards her.

"LUNA!" Adam yelled as he appeared on scene. "Shit, here they come again!" Adam went into jet form as the squad circled around. His wingsabers engaged as he split a Murasame.

"Damn you!" Shinn snarled as he turned his beam rifle on the rapidly approaching force, taking three out.

Babai fired his onboard missiles into the ship. The now filled infirmary shook. His Murasame, the only one left in the squad, continued his one man assault, firing the beam cannon in his rudder. "Eeehhh!" Ray grunted as he desperately tried to hit the shifty suit. Shinn engaged his target scope again and fired. Each shot clipped the Murasame, and it started smoking and accelerating into a dive bomb.

"Kamikaze!" Arthur cried.

"Engines to full! Portside, now!" Talia yelled enough to turn her voice hoarse.

"For ORB! May our lion continue to roar! YYYAAAAAAHHH!" It impacted the Isolde and burst into a fireball of pure death.

"N-no…." Cagalli whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Main cannon, starboard catapult, disabled. Fires have erupted!"

"Put them out quickly!"

"CIWS, down to 40 percent!" Another report came in as two men moved a body.

"Lunamaria's unit, lost! Medical teams taking her in!" Meyrin sighed slightly. Her sister was alive, just barely. She moaned in pain, her helmet glass cracked and arm badly broken. Sparking wires and warped metal would make it difficult to remove her.

"Dear God!" Adam trembled as he flew over his ship.

"One more push!" Neo stood up. "Once more and they'll go down for sure!"

"Th-that's right!" Yuna quivered apprehensively. "That will be the end of it! If Minerva just goes down…" The ORB fleet sent forward another barrage as Todoka gnashed his teeth.

"Minerva! Sword Silhouette and Deuterion Beam! I'm on empty here! Then I'll tear the entire fleet into bits!" Shinn spoke as they continued to dodge below.

"Is it back up yet?" Gladys looked to her communication screen.

"Negative!" The maintenance chief stated. "We've cleared the loose debris, but everyone that knows how to operate the machine is too big to fit through the hole!"

Meyrin stared at the screen. Talia bit her thumb. "But then Shinn will be going into hostile grounds with no armor…."

Meyrin stood up and took off her headset. "I'll go! I know the controls, and can squeeze through there! Please, let me go!"

"Then go!" She waved her off in urgency. "Bart, take her console!"

"Hai!"

"Patch me through to Adam."

"Hai!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Adam appeared on screen.

"I'm sending you Comet along with the Sword Silhouette. We need you to defend the Deuterion Cannon while it's activated."

"Understood. But why didn't you have Meyrin tell me?"

"Meyrin's the one that's going to fire the beam." She looked at him sternly.

Adam's face turned pale. "Launch that Silhouette Flyer, and I don't mean later!" The Sword/Comet Combination Flyer shot out of the Catapult. "Shinn, I'm taking the first linkup this time!"

"Go, man, go!" I don't blame you!" He replied.

"ATHRUN!" Kira clashed sword and shield with his best friend.

"The EAF are the ones attacking! So are you just going to let Minerva sink?!"

Meyrin ran down the hall, dodging metal left and right. Without saying a word, she climbed onto the uneven debris and inched her way through the hole. On the other side, she broke into a run again, jumping over, sliding under and rolling past pieces of metal, some of them slick with blood. "Let me make it in time!"

Adam returned the blade to his shields, and detached the cone. The cone on the Flyer split in two and slipped onto the shoulders of the M-3 unit. The blue and brown armor spread over the new equipment as the shield slipped into Falcon's left hand and the rifle slid into the right. The shield spread open and activated its reflector. He flew into position beside the Deuterion Cannon. He began to fire shots as Windam and Astray approached.

Shinn jettisoned the Force equipment and awaited the Sword pack. As the autopilot rolled away, the laser markers guided the red swords into the giant robot. Once locked, Impulse changed color once again, to a red, black, and white scheme. He jumped into the line of sight of the Deuterion Beam. Adam continued firing and blocking shots from passing suits. "I won't let you hurt her! You're not getting passed me!"

"Target locked! Deuterion Beam, shousha!" Meyrin yelled, as the thin blue and yellow beam hit Shinn's forehead plate. The energy gauge became full, and he took off into the advancing enemy battlegroup. "I did it!" She tried to shut down the cannon. Nothing happened. After attempting again she looked up, electricity starting to crackle around the cannon. There was a giant crack in the generator barrel. "Oh no! A crack like that, and a generator that won't stop, it'll turn this room into a giant short-circuit!" She ran as fast as she could as small explosions peppered the cannon. Then, all at once, the entire thing completely turned into scrap metal. "GYAH!"

Falcon turned around at the sound of small explosions. "What in the world?!" A bright flash covered his vision and his suit was blown back. "Gaahh!" He flipped open the visor and rubbed his eyes. Once his vision was cleared, he gasped, thick black smoke pouring from a large hole in the top of the cannon, shrapnel from the hull falling everywhere. His breaths shortened. "Sou… na… MEYRIN!"

"Why are you doing this?!" Kira grunted.

"This is why I told you to go back! If you don't want to fight, then why are you…?!"

Adam landed on the smoking cannon. Securing his shield and rifle in the nose, Falcon engaged his knives from his hip shields. He drove them into the armor of the Minerva, cutting a doorway. "Please be okay. Dear God, please let her be okay!" Adam got out of the cockpit. He jumped into the door he made. "Meyrin! Where are you?! Say something, please! WOAH!" He stepped on a piece of floor paneling, it collapsed under him, and he had to climb back up. Continuing his search he got to the door, and forced it open all the way. On the other side, under a piece of paneling, was his pig-tailed love. "Meyrin!" He threw the piece off of her. Carefully, he cradled the unconscious girl. She was bleeding from two places on her head, but she was breathing.

Todoka, long been silent, finally straightened. "Yosh! This ship shall also advance."

"Eh?" Yuna looked at him oddly, which was normal.

"Engines to full!"

The first officer took a while to understand the look on his face. "Aye! Engines to full!"

"Engines to full!"

"Um… but that means…" Yuna tried to point out something.

"Minerva needs to be sunk by our fleet, correct? If that's so, then the flagship must go!"

"Eh… hmm…" Yuna put his hand to his chin.

"Hhhoooaaaa!" Shinn cried as Impulse dropped on an EAF ship, both its Excalibur swords engaged. He plunged them into the bow, and turned around sweeping through the bridge. As the ship began to sink, he jumped to the next, ripping chunks of metal and cables with the ringing of his sharp blades.

"No more!" Cagalli drove forward.

"Hmm… Okay!" Yuna slapped one hand into the other. "It's an impressive victory. Withdraw the mobile suits and fire some more type-eight shells with the regular shells simultaneously!"

The order went out. "Mobile suits are retreating!" Bart reported.

"Eh?! They have us right where they want us, unless… they want to finish us off with high-yield explosives!" Talia figured it out. "Get as many CIWS ready as you can. Have Ray and Adam take cover. Make sure Athrun and Shinn stay clear."

"Hai!"

"Simultaneous cannon fire, TEI!" Todoka barked the order.

Adam removed his helmet and gently slipped it onto Meyrin's head and she convulsed in pain. "Sorry if this hurts, Meyrin, but if you get hit on the head one more time, you're gonna kick the bucket. Now…" He lifted her up. "Let's get you out of here!"

"I understand, but…. I honestly understand what you're saying, but…." Kira continued to evade his friend.

"KGH!" Shinn grabbed a beam boomerang on his shoulder and hurled it into one of the attacking suits. As the other looked on in horror, the red suit jumped and split it in half.

"But Cagalli is crying here and now!" Athrun gulped at Kira's tone. "She can't stand seeing it this way, that's why she's crying now! Can't you understand that?! Yet you say this war and sacrifices can't be helped..." Shinn had both boomerang blades in hand, running across the deck of a ship, slicing into the Murasame stationed there. "And blame everything on ORB and Cagalli?! That's how you justify shooting at those she wants to protect?!" The red-seeded Coordinator backswung his boomerang into two Astray Shrikes.

Ray's rifle and the CIWS sent a barrage into the sky. The shells exploded in midair, including two type-eights. "Shit!" Ray hid behind his shield quickly, the shrapnel about to rain down upon the ship.

"Un… Kira!"

"If that's so, I'll bring you down!" Kira's eyes became pure violet as he willed his seed to shatter. He drew his beam saber and flew towards Savior at top speed.

"Eh?!" Athrun reacted and drew his weapon, preparing to strike back.

Adam carried the girl towards the exit he had made. A blast of heat came through, along with the sound of loud metallic plunking. Recognizing it from the hangar, he turned tail and ran. As the world went silent in his ears, Adam's footsteps seemed so far in between. The shrapnel shot into his mobile suit outside, and soon went through the hull of the ship where Adam was moments before. He continued to run as the sound of metal upon metal assaulted his ears as he dare not look back. He dove behind what was left of the generator. The orange-haired pilot held the girl wearing his helmet as tight as he could. "Chikshou!"

Freedom and Savior clashed, sword on sword, shield on shield. Breaking away from each other, Kira made the next strike with his second saber, backhanding it through Savior's sword arm. "Agh! Geh!" Athrun was taken by surprise. No emotion other than the narrowing of his gaze was shown on the other pilot. Freedom's attack was done in less than a second. The red and yellow Gundam was cut to pieces. All of it became twisted pieces of red shrapnel as the only intact portion fell away, the torso. Athrun looked back as his alarms blared around him.

Ray's mobile suit was on its last leg, literally. The spray tore his left leg off. "That was too close." He propped himself behind the Tristan cannon.

Adam looked around. There were holes big enough to fit a computer through. Small fires burned here and there, and the roof was threatening to collapse. "If it wasn't before, it sure isn't safe her now!" He danced around the sharp potholes, and a support beam above him melted from fire. It swung down level with him, the hot metal and the fire coating it planning to go through his face to complete its swing. "Shimatta!"

"Tei!" Todoka ordered as missiles launched from the rear bays.

"Missiles incoming!" Bart swallowed.

"Kaihee! Intercept!" Both Tristan cannons fired into the air, as a Windam's torn torso fell into the ocean with a sickening plop. "Eey! What's the point of the carrier coming to the front?!"

"No, stop! Go back, Takemikazuchi!" Cagalli begged as her raving tears poured from her eyes. Ray and the Tristan fired into the ship's bow. Explosions riddled the carrier.

"Shimatta!" Adam cried as he instantly moved away from the beam. The hot metal passed inches from his nose. However the flames coating it weren't so forgiving. They jumped into his open mouth and down his throat, scorching his tender vocal chords. The heat and pain made him want to scream, but no sound could emanate. He nearly dropped his love as he went to his knees, coughing violently. The sound of screeching metal reached his ears, and he looked up. The roof was starting to give way. Adam picked Meyrin up, disregarding his internal damage and ran out the hole. Orange and pinkish-red slowly ascended Falcon. He took off, not seeing the hole in the back of his suit, the power cable to his rear cannon in direct contact with the battery.

"Y-you! What the hell were you thinking, Todoka?!" Yuna grabbed the man by the cuff as the ship tilted forward. "With things like this…."

"Yuna-sama, I recommend you escape!"

"Eh?"

"All hands, abandon ship!"

"Aye!" His second saluted. "All hands, abandon ship! I repeat, all hands, abandon ship!"

"Takemikazuchi, go back!" Her pleas were too late.

"Keh!" Shinn snarled as he fired his rifle at her from the deck.

A Murasame slid in front of her and took the blow. "Cagalli-sama, I beg of you to esca-." He cried as his systems overloaded.

"The order to destroy Minerva will be followed to the very end!" Todoka spoke quickly. "The blame for the loss of the ship, officers, and troops, will also fall on myself! ORB's bravery will echo through the world because of this battle!" He wrenched himself free of the blue-haired man and grabbed his collar, throwing him into the door. "Escort the Commander to safety. All of you get the hell out of here!" His officers looked at him in astonishment. "This is an order! Don't protect Yuna Roma, but our beloved nation!"

"Hai!" They all said, saluting, while Yuna checked his lip for blood.

The second officer stepped forward. "I will remain."

"No you won't."

"I refuse to leave!"

"No you won't!"

Adam's systems were all but fried. His audio communication was of no use in his current condition. His text communication was locked onto Impulse. His weapons were down. Strangest of all, his power gauge was going back up. Once it hit 100 percent and still climbed, he got worried. Looking at Minerva's hatches, he realized they were not going to open any time soon. Thus he turned towards the only option left, the Archangel. He jammed the throttle and headed for it directly.

Another explosion rocked the tilting ship, and Todoka grabbed a console. "If anyone shares your feelings, gather them and take them to Archangel!" He stood, taking his first officer by the collar. "If you follow them, the right path will open up to you!"

"Todoka-san!"

"I'm counting on you! Not for me, but for those who died meaningless deaths here today! Now go!"

"Cagalli!" Kira flew towards her with all speed.

A Valiant shot slid across Falcon's starboard. "This is Captain Murrue Ramius of the Archangel. Although you have been identified as a friendly by one of our units, you are stationed on a ship that considers us an enemy. Friend or Foe? Respond or be disabled."

Adam was in a panic. His girlfriend moaned in pain in his lap, he couldn't send text messages, he couldn't speak, his battery was at 150 percent and climbing. The orange-haired boy shed a tear as he tried to speak, even in a whisper, but the pain was too great. The stress overtook him as his brown eyes solidified, his seed had broken once again. "K…k…k…. 'Killing because someone was killed… being killed because you killed… is that twisted thinking really going to lead to peace?!' CAGALLIIIIIIIIII!" Adam coughed violently after he forced the words out, blood splattering Meyrin's uniform.

Everyone halted as they turned towards the source of the transmission. "Adam!" Cagalli turned. "Archangel, let him in! He's damaged!"

"What?!" Milly gasped.

"Just do it!" The port catapult opened and Adam flew inside.

Shinn landed next to the Takemikazuchi bridge, stomping up the deck's angled surface to get face to face with the people inside. Todoka looked into the camera amongst the flames behind him. He went wide eyed for a moment and smiled. "It was good to see you again, Shinn… Asuka."

The boy in the red flight suit raised his mobile suit's weapons over its head. "HhhheeeeaaaaAAAAHHH!" He cut through the man from above. With that one swing, Shinn killed the man that saved him at Onogoro, that took him under his wing, that sent him to ZAFT to start over. Shinn didn't even remember his name, and how, he never would. Impulse jumped away as the entire carrier burst into a misshapen ball of flame.

Falcon skidded on its knees, the cockpit already opening. Without even waiting for the winch, Adam jumped out with Meyrin in his arms. "Hey, kid, what's all the rush?!" Murdock and the mechanics were running out to meet him, and Adam thrust the girl into his burly arms. "Huh?!"

He turned around quickly, determination on his seeded face. Running back to his unit, he tripped. "KAGH!" On his hands and knees, he coughed up more blood, much more of it. It didn't matter to him any more. He looked up in anger as he swung his injured body back into the mobile suit.

The mechanics were blown back as Falcon went to full throttle and cleared the ship. "What in the world?!" Both Murrue and Talia mused.

Their sensor officers noticed something strange as well. "Massive energy buildup inside Falcon! It's overloading!"

Adam drove Falcon clear of both ships. The citrus-haired teen opened his hatch as the power gauge hit 200 percent. The M-3 Astray Falcon, the blue and brown Gundam, Cagalli's gift to Adam, burst into hundreds of pieces. Everyone that could still watch had their eyes riveted to the explosion. If the destruction of her ORB fleet hadn't been enough, seeing this was enough to make her snap. "ADAM! NOOOO! AGH!" The last she said in a squeak as she gave up control of her suit. It was sent diving. Kira swooped in and picked Strike Rouge up.

"Adam…." Shinn's eyes trembled. The only thing that pulled his eyes away from the Falcon's bits plunging into the ocean was his name on his text screen. There was only a one word message: SORRY. His body convulsed. He tore off his helmet and vomited onto the floor of his cockpit. Finished, he lifted his head towards the sky. "HHHEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" It was a scream he used only once before, the day his family perished at Onogoro.


	3. Chapter 3

Old Friends Anew: Special Edition

Phase 3: The Pit of Hellfire

_The explosion blew Adam away hard, flinging him to the concrete of the harbor, sliding next to Shinn._

"_Help the injured!" Todoka ran up to him. "Are you okay?!" Shinn lifted himself into standing position, still in shock._

"_Haah… haah…" Adam gasped, blood trickling from his mouth, his eyes wide, stunned at his survival. He stood up slowly._

"_Follow me, hurry!"_

"_Shinn!" Adam coughed. "What about the others?!"_

"_Hah!" He gasped, turning around. "Father… mother…? Mayu?" He looked up to where he was before… or what was left of it._

_Adam turned around as well, aghast at the scene. The hill above them was now a cliff. Looking down quickly, Shinn saw something… his sister's hand next to a rock. "Ah! Mayu!" He ran towards her._

"_Shinn!" He went after him._

"_Oi!" Todoka tried to stop him._

"_Huah!" Shinn gasped as he got closer. Mayu's dirty, bloody arm was attached to nothingness._

"_Mgh!" Adam grunted as he pulled up next to his friend. Looking up, he saw the rest of her, lying back in a pool of her own blood, her bones shattered. "MAYU!" He dove forward through the fire, not even feeling any heat from it. He went to his knees as he skidded next to her. "No… Mayu! Mayu, look at me, please!" He brushed her hair away from her face._

_There was still life in her eyes, and she smiled weakly. "Ad…."_

"_Don't try to talk! Just stay with me, Mayu! Shit, that's a lot of blood."_

"_Shinn." She opened her mouth again, only to have blood pour from it. "Ma…." She went silent._

"_Mayu, don't you fucking DARE die on me!" Adam yelled at her as he cradled her in his arms. "Wake up!"_

_She continued, mouthing. "Ma… mo… ru…."_

_Mayu looked up into his eyes, as two tears rolled down his cheeks. "Unh. I promise."_

"_Hee." She smiled one last time, before her eyes glazed over with a gray tint. Her head fell back, unable to keep it up on her own._

"_Uh! MAYU!" Adam yelled. "Mayu! Don't! Don't you go!" She didn't respond, as she slipped from his arms, back to the bloody stone. His eyes went wide as he stared as his arms, every inch covered in her blood. "Shinn… I tried…." He turned towards the boy._

_Shinn fell to his knees in front of Mayu's severed arm. His voice wouldn't come to him. He reached for the hand, but clenched his fist before he got to it, gripping the earth next to it, tears pouring down his face. He didn't even take notice as two mobile suits stirred up a gust of wind. "You…." The military man reached for him._

_Shinn turned around, looking into the skies, his suffering turning to rage as he saw Freedom, Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden going at it in the skies. Adam's eyes widened. "Shinn? Mayu? This is…!"_

_Clenching his sister's phone, Shinn raised his head into the air. "HEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"_

Adam's eyes shot open, hearing the scream loud and clear, even over the lapping waves washing into his ears. He couldn't move, paralyzed. As two tears mixed with the sea water, he closed his eyes, just as a brown and white metallic shadow passed over him.

'Enough. It's fine now. I've seen enough. Shinn, I saw your suffering. I was a part of it. Now I understand, and I can't blame you anymore. I had promised Mayu, and I failed. I'm sorry Shinn.

'Meyrin. At least I saved you. That's what really matters to me. You, the one who found my heart where it felt emptiness was, if you can live on, that's good enough for me. I can do no more.'

'Do you think you can just throw all of us away like that?!'

_Adam's eyes shot open. "You awake sweetie?" His mother sat next to him as he lay in a hard spring cot._

_"Unh." Adam groaned as he slowly sat up, rubbing his forehead, only to find that it was bound by medical tape. "What happened?"_

_"You took a blow to the head when you hit the ground. Remember it?"_

_"A blow… Ah! Freedom!"_

_"There you go."_

_"But...." Adam tried to search through his recent memory, but there seemed to be some holes. "The house you guys were under collapsed."_

_"The human body is a mysterious thing. When in a pinch, people can call upon some great strength." Adam's father emerged from another room, with a steaming cup. "Here, drink some of this."_

_He took a sip and gulped. "Thanks. But are you guys okay? I mean, you were pinned."_

_They looked between each other before turning back to their son. "We're fine. Doesn't even hurt."_

_"Hmm?" Adam looked at his mother's legs, and not a blemish was on them. He turned towards his father's and gave him a little tap in the shin with his toe. No reaction. "You two are like superhuman sometimes, I swear."_

_"Well, of course, we're your parents!" His mom stuck her tongue out at him. "Come here, honey." She pulled him into a hug._

_"Group hug!" His father yelled before wrapping his arms around the both of them._

_Adam smiled, relieved for the affection, even though the hug had no warmth to it at all. "This is why…" His mom spoke, and he turned to look at her. Her skull, with burnt flesh falling off, gargled at him. "You should never think about dying again!"_

Adam's eyes shot open, the scream he wanted to scream wouldn't come. "AH! Doctor, he's regained consciousness!"

"Impossible! Double the dose of the sedative! If he tries something, we'll lose it!" The doctor looked down into his eyes. "Listen. Don't move, don't speak, don't even think. We're trying to save you, so just relax and sleep well."

'It was like being trapped in a nightmare. Why did we end up fighting each other? Just so we could fight? I should have understood it… should have known it…. But slowly… bit by bit… it all slipped away…. What we could do… we were supposed to do…. It all disappeared…' The world in front of him went dark as his eyelids shut. 'Into that thick fog.'

Shinn sat on the nose cone hangar door, leaning back against the wall, staring at the cones. His fist clenched his cell phone shut, turned to a picture of his best friend.

A young girl rolled out of her bed. As she struggled to get up, she winced at the needles of IVs in her arm. "So how's our surprise pa…." A nurse entered and gasped before dashing towards the girl. "No! You're in no condition to get up!"

"Did it work? Is Minerva safe? I fired the beam, right? We won, right? Adam, I need to find Adam, let him know… let him know…." She passed out in the woman's arms.

Athrun was surrounded by the dark locker room as he shut his closet. He drew his lips tight as he pressed his hand hard against it. Without another word he turned towards the door and exited.

Lunamaria woke up in sickbay, gripping her head with her good arm. She slowly began to get her bearings.

Stellar suffered in her bed, the oxygen mask over her face was hardly used by her shallow breath. Her looks got progressively worse, dark rings surrounding her eyes. As she made eye contact with Shinn, her smile was cut short as pain ran through her spine. He kneeled down next to her and looked back and forth between her, the vital monitor, and the room, hoping to find a nurse or doctor.

All in a row, Kira, Cagalli, Miriallia, Murrue, and the ship's surgeon stood in front of an observation window. The orange-haired subject lay on the bed, unconscious, multiple IVs and monitors on him. "Somehow, his vocal chords and a portion of his lungs were burned. We had to go in and treat the damaged tissue and stimulate growth. He apparently caused more damage when he tried to speak at some point, ripping one of the weakened muscles in the process. We re-attached the muscle, but it's pretty bad."

"What scenarios are we looking at for his recovery?" Kira spoke to the window as Cagalli pushed her forehead to the glass, sobbing.

"He's lost a lot of blood. It's up to fate now. Even if he recovers, his voice will never be the same, that is, if he can speak again."

"What about the girl, Meyrin? How's she doing?"

"The nurses tell me she's woken up twice already. She shouldn't do anything for three months, but she'll make a full recovery."

"Well that's good at least. If Adam wakes up, tell him that she's alive and that will encourage his recovery." Cagalli dried her eyes.

Receiving the news, Lunamaria went in search of kinship in Shinn. Instead, she couldn't restrain her rage, slapping him hard. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You're acting like Adam's not affecting you at all! And Meyrin too…. Have you gone completely heartless?!"

"Probably. Sorry if that's a problem."

She slapped him again. "STOP IT! Why aren't you crying?! Why aren't you even sad?!"

"What do you want from me?!"

"I don't know! But I want something! I just lost my sister, damnit! She was your friend too! How can you stand in front of me and not cry?!"

"Don't put me in with the rest of you! Ever since I saw Falcon explode, my tears have dried up! Do as you freakin like! I don't care anymore!" Shinn pushed her aside and left. Luna collapsed to the cold metal and screamed as her hot tears coated it.

The medical bay always seemed emptier at night. The nurse wrote down the readings on the stat monitors as the doors admitted someone. "What do you need? At this hour…." She turned around only to see a black and red blur before the pain in her midsection made her black out.

"_That so?" _Shinn recalled as he put the woman down gently. _"There's really nothing you can do?" Captain Gladys inspected the doctor's chart as Shinn listened in from around the corner._

"Stellar." He turned towards the girl.

"_Ah. It's up to time now."_

She opened her eyes slowly. "Neo?"

"Huh?"

A weak smile caressed her lips. "Oh, it's Shinn."

He returned her smile. "Let's get you home. I will keep my promise to you." She just stared at him. "Stellar, I'll protect you."

"_Any more attempts to keep her alive would be futile. Plus, it would only make it harder for the autopsy to get accurate data."_ Shinn grunted as he pushed her bed out the door.

In the hangar, an MP and a mechanic made small talk which was interrupted by the sounds of squeaking wheels. "Uh?" He turned towards the sound. "Hey, just what are you doing?!" Shinn said nothing and pushed Stellar's bed harder. "Bastard! I asked you a question!" He armed his rifle and ran towards the Coordinator pilot.

"What's up?!" Another heard and went to back him up, with two of his fellow police following behind. Ray, unnoticed in the commotion, also pursued.

Shinn was stuck waiting for the elevator. "Don't move!" One of the men leveled his weapon.

"Guah!" One of the other security guards got hit. Ray took on three of them at once with only his fists.

The first forgot about Shinn and turned on Ray. "What the hell are yo-"

Shinn raised his fists and slammed them onto the weak spot on the back of the guard's neck. He crumpled to the floor as Ray mopped up the final guard. "Are you returning her?" He said calmly, like he wasn't in a fistfight less than five seconds before.

"Uh… yeah." Ray stared at him, looking for more. "As things are now, she'll die. If she lives, she'll be treated like a lab rat. I won't accept that!" He wheeled her into the elevator as he spoke.

As the door was about to close, Ray wrapped his hand around it and kept it open. "You'll come back, right?"

"Eh?" He didn't expect the question. "Of course!"

"Then hurry. I'll let the gate open for you."

"Eh?"

"Whatever life she lives, if she lives, I'm sure she'd want to." Ray let go of the door and it slid shut.

Alarms blared around Ray as he locked out the controls on the bridge from the secondary control room. He ignored the pounding the chief made on the door. "Open up! Kuso! Hey, someone get a laser cutter and slice off the lock!"

"All set, Shinn." Ray spoke into his stolen headset.

The captain came onto the bridge as fast as possible. "What's wrong? What just happened?"

"Here we go!" Shinn hit the throttle, and the engines roared to life. The little blue plane was out into the night sky, barrel rolling away from the ship.

"Captain, Impulse just launched!" Burt gasped.

"Eh?"

The blue, red, and white color scheme coated the armor as the shield stretched out from its four point star. Shinn loaded a data disk into his onboard computer. "The EAF base positions. Gaia's broadcast code. Yosh, this will do!" He went off on his dangerous mission towards enemy territory.

Hours passed. Impulse sat down on one knee, ironically, in the same spot Savior was a few days earlier, when Athrun and Adam met Kira and the others. "Uh?" His radar picked up something, and the viewscreen automatically zoomed in. "That mobile suit?!" He was reminded of his first real sortie with Adam, in the Indian Ocean.

Neo's screen also zoomed in. "That mobile suit?" He landed his metallic humanoid next to Impulse. When the Windam deposited him on the ground he spoke. "I'm Neo Roanoke! As promised, I am alone and unarmed!"

After a few seconds, Impulse's hatch opened. Shinn lost his grip on Stellar when the winch stopped, and he quickly caught her as he dismounted. "Khh." He grunted as he squeezed her shoulder. "The only reason I'm returning her is because she'll die if I don't! So you'd better make me a promise! Take her away from war, mobile suits, or anything that can cause death! Give her a world that's kind and warm! Return her to it!"

Neo stepped forward, and his opponent picked Stellar up and stepped backward. "That promise… I'll keep." After a pause, Shinn approached him and gently placed the blonde into his arms. "Stellar."

She woke up again, barely able to put on a smile. "Neo."

"Well then." The man turned around and started to walk back to his mobile suit.

"Hold on!" Shinn said as he started digging through his pockets. He held out the glass jar with the shell in it.

"Hmm?"

"Shinn…" She whispered as his warm hand placed the cold jar in hers.

"Don't forget, Stellar." He placed her hand onto her heart. "Please, don't forget me." She sighed through the pain with an affectionate look, one that Shinn couldn't handle. He broke away without a word and let the winch take him.

Impulse took off into the rising sun, wiping his eyes. He looked at the moisture on his wrist. "Guess I can cry. Looks like I'll have a lot of apologizing to do."

As the legendary legged ship sat at the bottom of the sea, two soft blue eyes opened slowly, raising the girl they belonged to out of the depths of unconsciousness. "Are you awake?"

The pinkish redhead turned towards the noise and blinked until her vision cleared. "Cagalli…san?"

"Well at least I know you don't have amnesia, ne?" The blonde chuckled.

"Where am I? What happened?" Meyrin struggled to sit up. "What are you doing back on Minerva?"

"Woah, take it easy Meyrin Hawke." ORB's princess gently pushed her back. "You've gotten a bad concussion and a few other rough injuries. The doctors won't want you out of bed for a week, so stay put."

"I don't really feel up to trying that again anyway." The girl sighed and took the opportunity to check her surroundings. "I'm not on the Minerva, am I?"

"No, you're on the Archangel."

It made her freeze. "Did we lose?"

"No. Not exactly."

"Did we win?"

"No. Not exactly."

"What happened, Cagalli-san?"

The older girl sighed deeply as she began to recount the tale of the battle. The injuries sustained, the death toll, Adam's rescue, and the aftermath; it all returned in a flood as two brown orbs revealed the image of a ceiling to the brain in the next room over.

Impulse had docked. Shinn surrendered to the MPs without a fight, and they approached the Captain's quarters. Athrun got off the wall outside and Luna gasped beside him. The MP commander hit the doorbell. "Pardon me, ma'am. Shinn Asuka has been detained and we have brought him per your request." Shinn's hardened look turned to guilt when he glimpsed Luna, but as they were admitted to the chamber, the façade went up again.

Talia and Arthur stared at the boy. She raised her hand and the MP saluted, leaving the prisoner to them. Once the door closed, she spoke. "It looks like you're prepared for your punishment." He didn't respond, looking to some remote corner of her desk. "Ray believed in you, but you did right in returning. However you already knew what would happen if you did, didn't you? You released a prisoner without orders, assaulted the crew, launched a mobile suit without clearance, and made contact with the enemy. A breach of protocol this stupid has never reached my ears before! Being executed by firing squad would be getting off easy!"

"She was about to die." Shinn spoke quickly. Both senior officers raised their heads a little higher. "Captain, you were already aware of that fact, I believe."

"Shinn, hold your tongue!" Arthur furrowed his brow, but the captain raised a hand to stop him.

"If that's your only justification, I can't support what you've done. This incident will be reported to HQ, and when I receive their verdict, your punishment will be doled out. Until then, Shinn Asuka and Ray Za Burrel are both confined to the brig."

Trying to get a grasp on his situation, the boy lying on a hospital bed couldn't do much other than restrain his bladder. There wasn't a nurse or a bedpan to be seen. A door slid open behind him. "Eh? Well, what do you know, you're awake. Sorry I wasn't here earlier or I would have managed to catch you when you woke up." A brown-haired eighteen year old with violet eyes appeared in his line of sight. "Yo, Adam Cancho."

Adam's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth, but Kira immediately shut it.

"Na-ah! No talking. Your voicebox is damaged and needs time to heal. So absolutely no talking of any kind. None. Got it?"

Adam let out a breath through his nose and nodded slightly.

"Okay, I'm guessing you have some questions?"

Another nod.

"Okay, well ask away." He handed the boy an electronic writing pad and stylus.

His aching arms wrote something down. "Meyrin?"

"She's got a bad concussion, but Cagalli tells me she's awake. They had a long discussion."

The boy smiled as a tear ran down his cheek.

"You were really worried about her, weren't you?"

Adam nodded slowly, sniffing quickly to stop the flow.

"So, let me fill you in on what happened." Kira proceeded to do the same with the ailing teen as Cagalli did for his beloved.

The trip to the brig was traditionally a long one, but the longest moment was when Shinn passed the cell of Ray Za Burrel. After being ushered into his own cell, his handcuffs were unlocked and he sat down on the rock hard bed, his back against the wall Ray was leaning on. The awkward silence between them persisted until the doors slid open. The footsteps stopped at Shinn's cell, revealing the dark blue hair and emerald eyes of a member of FAITH. "Shinn."

The boy turned to talk towards the far wall. "Just what do you want?"

"No…uh… I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Eh?"

"I should have realized how much you cared for her."

"Ah… well it's not like she was important to me like that." Athrun looked towards him in confusion. "I just couldn't take it anymore. Stellar was the victim in all of this. Even so, everyone forgot that and only saw her as an EAF Extended. 'If she dies, it can't be helped' and the like." Shinn grumbled the last sentence.

Athrun looked away. "But I think you may have forgotten something."

"Huh?"

"That girl was an EAF pilot, and she's the confirmed killer of many of our comrades. And yet you…."

"But that's!" Shinn shut up while he gathered his thoughts. "But… But it's not like she wanted to be that way! We knew what we were doing when we joined ZAFT, but she's not like us!"

"If you put it that way, then that's another reason why she should never have been returned."

"Uh?"

"If her own will to stop is impeded, then she might still…."

"Kgh!" Shinn gripped his pants tightly before standing quickly, resisting the urge to plunge his hands through the bars. "So you're saying that it would have been fine to let her die?! The suffering and fear that Stellar had to go through…!"

"Shinn."

"Also, that guy made me a promise! Stellar would be taken to a place that's kind and warm, away from the world of war!" Athrun's eyes quivered as Shinn kept on. "How could I not…"

"Shinn. Shut up already." Both arguing pilots turned towards the other occupied cell. "That's enough out of you too, Athrun. It won't help talking about it now that everything is said and done."

"Ray." Athrun didn't know what to think about his tone.

"What's done is done. The future is what's unknown. Both don't mean a thing. Praying and waiting for tomorrow to come is the only thing. That's all anyone can do."

Supreme Chairman Gilbert Durandal once again sat in his office, reading the bad news from Minerva. "This certainly complicates matters. With so few working mobile suits on board…. Well," He said as he stood up. "I'll have the entire council on my ass about this one, but I think I can push it through." He moved another chess piece. "The game is getting to its critical phase."

In the Steppes of Russia, a battle was being fought. The EAF Ground-based Aircraft Carrier Bonaparte cruised through explosions and the fog of the snowstorm around them. Missiles impacted the armor plating as two BaCOE units pulled alongside. One of them fired its linear cannons towards the roof, only to be destroyed by two beam weapons.

A blue, orange, and white mobile suit landed in the snow, shooting its beam pistol at a charging ZAKU. Its form looked familiar, though now better equipped than its original specs, the EAF's resurrection project was complete with this machine. Blu Duel was charged with defending the ship. Its female pilot grunted as the enemy MS exploded. "Mou, these guys just won't quit! It's getting old."

"Everyone probably wants to enjoy your company, Mudie. Egh!" A dark green and red MS fired its beam cannons from atop the Bonaparte, destroying two ZAKUs that were bearing in on his comrade. Another rebirth of a mobile suit of the old generation had appeared. Verde Buster, with twice the firepower of the original, had emerged.

The Duel's alarm beeped as two more BaCOEs closed in. From its left shoulder container, she pulled three explosive throwing knives and hurled them into their faces. The two destroyed BaCOEs were avenged by a third, a Linear Rail Cannon type. As the pilot blocked with her shield, she didn't notice a second gallop behind her through the smoke with sabers drawn. "Ah!" She gasped as the alarm went off. Pulling out a beam saber, she whirled it towards the enemy too late. The arm flew off, along with her shield, as the suit crashed to the ground.

"Mudie!" The Buster's pilot saw her plight.

Her left leg was sheared off in a rifle blast. "Egh! I'm in trouble, I think." New contacts came head on. "Ah!" Three of the newest BaCOEs, the Keroberos type, pounced on the suit at once. "Hold on a second!"

From the air, a black and gray mobile suit fired its beam pistols into ZAKUs before landing. This mobile suit was the third of the resurrection projects, and their most ambitious unit, Strike Noir, improving the Strike and adding a new backpack. Its presence would soon be fully known by the enemy. "Ah!" The pilot gasped as he looked towards Duel.

The Keroberos Hounds were pounding into the armor with their beam spikes. The pilot could do nothing but scream as their merciless attacks continued. The only thing that silenced her was her own demise, as a spike pierced her heart. The enemy was finished, so they turned their doglike heads towards a new opponent.

"Huuu!" Noir had its beam blade engaged as he charged the hounds. They turned to engage, one firing off beam cannon rounds from its back. Noir ducked low to avoid the blast before leaping into the air, hurling the blade into the path of the first BaCOE. It tried to slide to a stop, but it was too late. The suit was cut in half before it exploded. The other two tried to come in from behind when he landed. He merely pointed the hands back, and two grappling cables shot out of the palms, nailing each dog in the forehead. Doing a backflip over them, Noir pulled the reins tight and swung them both into each other, crushing the pilots in the impact before they were destroyed. He looked towards the wreckage of the Duel as Buster landed next to it.

The Gundam's pilot jumped out. "Just what the hell happened here?! Don't shit with me! Oi, Mudie! This is a joke, right?! MUDIE!"

That night a cargo jet landed in the hardened snow and ice. Sven Cal Byran, pilot of the Noir, encountered the disembarked procession in the halls of the battleship. He stood to the side as a man in a gray and red mask, a green haired boy, and a blonde in a sterile medical bed went past him. He only looked for a second before understanding everything.

"Oopsy." His fellow Gundam pilot said as he rounded the corner. "What's that all about?"

"My guess is a destroyed Extended."

"Hah?"

"It's not like they live very long." He just shrugged it off and went to get a drink.

One week later…

Adam kneeled forward and put his hands together, praying in front of a smooth black slab with names engraved on it. He hadn't expected a room like this to exist on the ship, and when he found it, the orange-haired Coordinator felt compelled to pay his respects.

The door slid open behind him, and a girl with sandy hair and turquoise eyes entered. "Umh?" She blinked as she saw him, but then she smiled. "So how's our resident miracle doing?"

Adam pulled out his drawing pad. "Okay for the most part." He wrote. "Most of the stitches came out this morning, but some of the worse injuries still need time to heal. As you can see, I still can't talk yet."

"That sucks. Excuse me for a moment." Milly knelt down to pray. She lifted her head up to the sky and let a tear roll down her cheek.

When she rose, Adam already had a message waiting. "If I may, what's this memorial for?"

She pressed her fingertips to the cold slab. "This is a memorial for all the crew members and friends that died in the first war. I started it… when Tolle died." She rubbed the engraving of Tolle Koenig. "Almost everyone has lost someone who meant a lot to them. Mu La Flaga, Natarle Badgiruel, Fllay Alster, and so many more."

"Alster…. Where have I heard that surname before?"

"Prime Minister Alster of the Earth Alliance during the first war. Fllay was his daughter. Whatever you do, don't mention her name in front of Kira. His wounds run really deep with her."

"I see…."

"I come here to have an outlet, a way to deal with the pain, I suppose. A video on grief I watched once said: 'Humans will do anything to work through their grief. Some of the smarter ones turn the pain into creative energy, making incredible works for those that have passed on.' That's what got me started on this memorial." Adam didn't respond as his color palette inverted behind his eyes, shuddering at something unseen. Milly put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

The contact reversed the effect. "Huh? Um, yeah. Just needed a moment there. I'm sure everyone would appreciate all the work you've done."

"You don't look so good. Maybe you should go to the doctor and have him take a look at you."

"I'm fine, but thanks for worrying."

She blinked. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. Really!" He wrote before he walked away, with Miriallia looking on in deep concern.

In the brig, a new person entered, stopping at Ray's cell. "You look okay. They treating you correctly in here?" Luna held her broken arm gingerly.

"Military protocol has been fully enforced. No harm will come to us without the Council's ruling."

"I see."

Silence pervaded the room once again, before Ray made a small smile. "But I'm not the one you came to see, am I?"

"Eh?" Luna's eyes opened a little wider as Ray motioned his head towards the next cell over. She sighed, setting her jaw before she walked over. "Shinn."

"Luna."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Luna broke her gaze and clenched her teeth. "Geez!" She whispered as she started to walk away.

"I'm sorry, Luna." He said quickly, stopping her in her tracks.

"And just what are you sorry about?!" She whirled back around. "Doing something stupid and getting yourself stuck in that cell? A bit late for that, idiot!"

"Not that! I'm sorry… I was so unfeeling towards you."

"Eh?"

"When I said I couldn't cry anymore, I was just lying to myself." He let his head fall, darkening his eyes from view. "The truth is, Luna, I didn't want to admit that she was gone to myself."

"Shinn…" Luna's voice trembled, almost matching his own.

"We were always close in the academy. We did everything together, right? We had a great time, right?"

Luna wiped a tear from her eye before she spoke again. "Yeah, we had a blast together. We were always the number one group. Why are… ah!" Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a drop fall to the floor.

"She was a friend. She was energetic. She was funny. But most importantly she was your sister!" Shinn threw his head back and let the tears stream down his face. "And she loved my best friend. Now they're both gone." He turned his deeply reddened eyes towards the quivering girl on the other side of the bars. "I don't want you to forgive me, Luna. I've been too cruel to you for that. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Shinn… I… I…" The salty droplets in Luna's eyes started to blur her vision. "I forgive you!" She whispered as she ran out of the brig.

On the newly re-supplied Bonaparte, Sting and Stellar stood in front of a charcoal-colored metal behemoth. Neo looked towards the girl in the enhanced and more heavily-armored flight suit. "This is your new machine."

"Uh? Stellar's… new…."

"Ah. Stellar must enter the fight again, or else creepy things will come to kill us." With those words, his promise to Shinn was broken.

"Kill us? Stellar too?" Neo nodded as the fear sunk in. "Neo too?"

"Correct." He whispered, knowing that the most dangerous opponent wasn't an enemy unit, but the man pulling his strings.

"No!" She buried her face into his arm. "Not that! I don't want to die!"

He caressed her cheek with his gloved hand. "Then you'll have to do it. If it's Stellar, then you'll be fine. The scary things need to disappear."

"The scary things… disappear…." She stepped back and looked at her unit, her resolute side emerging.

The massive tank began to move forward as battle helicopters and Windams took to the skies.

The cockpit consoles slid into place above and below Stellar as they began to glow around her. What the system booted read spelled doom.

Gigantic

Unilateral

Numerous

Dominating

AMunition

G.U.N. Fortress

Stellar smiled at the screen as cables snapped off of the black body. Klaxons blared around the cargo bay. "Living CPU, linkage complete." Bonaparte's dome began to open and the GUNDAM's red eyes flashed to life. "Emergency personnel, please stand by. Beginning CPU data extraction. X1 Destroy, platform and gate have been released." All four engines on its surface roared as they lifted the huge machine from the inside of the ship. Revealed to all now was the most dangerous thing in existence. A Gundam five times the size of any other Gundam, its black and red armor shone in contrast to the snowfall. Its long legs were bird-like talons, able to step on anything. Its almost UFO-like ring housed its engines, two compartments for poseable weaponry, and twenty gunports. Just above the eyes was a strange turquoise crystal, and on the back of the UFO stretching far over the front were two double-barrel cannons. X1 Destroy – it was a true mechanical monster.

Burt, assuming Meyrin's old duties, turned to the captain. "Incoming priority one transmission from HQ. Coded for your eyes only."

"Eh?" Arthur blinked as the captain turned in her chair.

In the brig, two MPs tromped in front of Shinn's cell. "On your feet." He and Ray were released and cuffed.

" 'We regret the loss of the captured Extended who escaped and died soon after. After deliberating the wartime situation and the accused's exemplary record, this case will not be prosecuted for any and all involved parties.' EH?!" Arthur took a massive step back after reading the letter aloud. "Wh…what in the world is this?!"

In his office, Chairman Durandal moved another chess piece and smiled. "I'm not willing to sacrifice my knights just yet." He chuckled and winced. "Ow, my ass!"

"Excuse us." The captain's chamber door slid open, and a determined Shinn stared straight into her eyes. Gladys let out an irritated breath at the situation.

Within minutes, Ray and Shinn were free men, surrounded by whispers of their crewmates. "He wasn't prosecuted?"

"Eh? No way, after that stunt?!"

"HQ's orders?"

"I guess he really is Mr. Super Ace, huh?"

Two massive forces were on course to an inevitable collision in the middle of a Russian Winter. Destroy, sent as the Devil's advocate, grabbed the bars of blood, prepping to spread the gates of hell wide open. ZAFT took the first shot, a Lesseps class firing its beam cannons at the monstrosity, GaZOOT missiles shot off in a second wave, with BaCOEs contributing anywhere there was a gap. Their enemy's forehead gem glowed an unearthly shade of purple, spreading out into a web of blue and red energy. All weapons that impacted it either deflected or exploded harmlessly. Destroy was equipped with a massive Positron Reflector. All mobile suits moved in as the smoke dissipated.

"HhhuuaaaaaAA!" Stellar yelled as she activated her shoulder-mounted cannons. Particle energy gathered inside the tubes and it fired four beams of pink and blue energy that swept through the battlefield, slicing the battleship up like it was made of butter. The devastation continued into the streets of the city behind them, taking out civilians by the hundreds. It was the worst case scenario, as four beam weapons equaling the power of a Positron Cannon aimed towards a city. Hellfire had been lit in the streets, and no amount of snow could put these fires out.

Shinn entered the lounge with a straight face, and Vino was the first to see him. "Uh? Shinn! Thank God, man! Do you have any idea how much we worried?"

As Athrun turned towards him, Luna stood cradling her damaged arm. She watched the boy with a softer look than before. "Sorry to worry you so much." Shinn spoke in a formal tone as he turned to Athrun. "It's all taken care of now." The boy said with his head slightly tilted to one side, a look of dominance etched into his face. "I should thank you for everything."

"Not at all…." Athrun blinked, not quite sure what to make of Shinn's actions.

The BABI suits fired their chest cannons at the monster with zero effect. A tank came at it from a side street, but the creature lowered its poseable weapon and fired a beam shot straight into it. A BaCOE bounded towards the demon and jumped. The arm's gem spread a beam shield and smacked the poor dog away. Stellar mercilessly stepped on the downed suit, not even leaving a chance for the pilot to escape before being crushed. She straightened her machine and let out a cry. "HeeeeaaaaYY!" Missiles launched from the upper deck of the saucer. Their high yield payloads slammed into any mobile suit in reach. The arms of the mobile armor broke off and took to the air to intercept incoming DINNs. As one fired its machine guns, the pod spread its reflector. The other pod sent five beam blasts into one of the DINNs. The second one was mopped up soon after. The red holes on the sides of the UFO shield erupted into 20 fully rotating beam cannons that aimed at anything that threatened it, coating the entire region with explosions and smoke. The attack disintegrated and swept away hundreds of evacuating civilians along with the mobile suits. The red eyes of the Destroy glowed evilly as its shadow loomed over the city, like a demon of death beckoning for the next suicide to come to it.

Shinn's look turned towards the sarcastic, adding hatred and superiority into the mix. "Apparently HQ has a few people that think the way I do."

"Eh?" The air between them began to boil.

"What I'm saying is that your form of 'righteousness' isn't the only one that exists. Well then." Shinn saluted and left with a sly smile on his face, leaving Athrun hanging without a retort.

"Captain!" Burt turned from his station as fast as possible. "HQ just sent an emergency signal!" All the bridge crew turned towards him. "The EAF has started a major offensive in Central Eurasia. All ZAFT forces are to sortie in an emergency counterattack!"

"Say that again?!" The captain gaped.

Stellar stepped on a broken BABI amongst the flames, embers bouncing off of her hull. "To stop the creepy things… I'll annihilate EVERYTHING!" She whispered to herself as her cannons bore down on the streets of Berlin.

The positron reflector shone in the dark night as valiant efforts went to waste upon it. Civilians ran through the wreckage in panic, trying desperately to get away. "Mama!" A lone boy cried as BaCOEs drove past him.

Tanks made a front line and fired their linear cannons at the enemy. Every mobile suit within miles was scrambled to fight the horrid creature, but their numbers were dwindling fast. "Don't let up!" A GuAIZ R pilot ordered. "We can't let it take the city!"

The Lesseps cruiser on the outskirts fired its cannons at the metallic demon, and the reflector took it all without making even a dent. "BasTARDS!" Stellar cried as she activated the beams on the saucer section.

"GUH!"

"AAGH!" ZAFT pilots screamed in pain before they were no more. The blasts spread wildly, turning the already panicked streets into pure chaos. Anything and everything was swept up and killed, including civilians. Destroy's overhead cannons fired their pent up energy, lancing through the Lesseps like it was paper. As the ship detonated, Stellar stared at the embers floating up at her from the flames.

Deep in the council chambers of PLANT, a report came in. "It's useless. We've lost all contact with the Gardier squad! The target is in the middle of Berlin. Gibraltar has been asking multiple times for a response strategy."

"Practically all our forces in the area have been annihilated! Chairman, I recommend a full retreat!"

Durandal's mouth hid behind his intertwined fingers as he considered the statements. "But what will retreating do for us? That won't stop that… thing's crusade, will it?" The strategic commander gulped. "What's Minerva's location?" As he spoke, the said ship cruised at full speed over a farm, trying to keep from harming anything below.

Stellar's rage blinded her. She fired at anything that wasn't considered a friendly. A group of running women carrying their children? A beam shot from its arm pod splattered them across the pavement. A disabled BaCOE the pilot was abandoning? Bubblegum on its bird-like claws.

"Papa! I'm scared!" A little girl spoke to her infantryman father in tears.

A woman in the small group they were in screamed. "Look out!" A beam hurtled towards them.

The man held his daughter close. The hot green energy flashed for a moment, then disappeared. No explosion. No death. He looked up to see an orange and brown mobile suit in the middle of the beam's path, its shield protecting them all. "M… Murasame?"

Adam smiled in relief as they began to retreat. 'I'm glad I made it in time.' He turned towards the colossal fortress. 'Now for this thing!' Adam's borrowed Murasame leapt into the sky.

Alarms went off in Stellar's, Neo's, and Sting's cockpits. A cloud twisted open as a swirling beam of red and blue light cast down on Destroy. Stellar gasped as she raised her reflector. She gritted her teeth as her seat shook. "Nani?" Out of the deep snow-saturated clouds came a heroic shade of blue. It dove full bore at the ogre with its wings spread. "Hah!"

"Freedom!" Neo grunted, as from the smoke emerged the legged ship with an orange and brown mobile armor taking point. "Tch! Them again?!" His Windam began to accelerate.

Kira zoomed forward, whipping out his rifle and firing at close range. The beam deflected. He flipped over and backed away, casting a look of disbelief over his shoulder. "Why is this thing so big?! Adam, your run!" He began laying cover fire.

The orange-haired Coordinator pushed his throttle to max. Going into a roll he fired the rifle on his wing and the beam housed in his rudder. After seeing the damage, or lack of it, the Murasame turned tail and fired a missile out of its rear housing. The explosion didn't leave a scratch. 'This thing is a freaking juggernaut!' He thought as he began to regroup.

Stellar hissed. "Just what the hell… are you two?!" Her hatred was followed by multiple beam attacks.

"Ungh!" Kira yanked out his saber and batted a few of them that aimed his way as he dove forward.

The purple Windam flew over the black Gundam's shoulder and took a pot shot at Freedom. Kira had to break away to avoid. "Watch out, Stellar!"

"Neo!"

"Forget about the other one. The white one is Freedom, it's a toughy!"

"Eh?" Stellar's computer scanned the mobile suit diving towards her. "I don't care what you are." She flipped a switch on her control board and Destroy's eyes flashed. "Cause I WIIIILLL…!"

The colossus's waist rotated a full 180 degrees. "Ugh?" Kira spread his wings and stopped in midair, while Adam's Murasame had to flip into mobile suit mode before halting. The joints in the Destroy's arms reversed as they flipped down to its sides. Sting took in a stunned breath as he witnessed it for the first time. Destroy's UFO-like shield lifted over its head and locked into a backpack mode. The Gundam's true eyes were revealed, an enraged green with a red border. The mouth plating was dark gray, and the armor around the head was pitch black, holding four Vulcan cannons. Not only that, but the mouth itself housed a small multi-phasic cannon to match the three full size ones on its chest.

The Devil's advocate loomed up into its full height as both Cagalli and the captain gaped. "That thing is…."

'A mobile suit?' Adam finished the thought, his eyes trembling.

In a demonstration of its demonic power, all four cannons charged up, firing straight for Freedom and Murasame. Both boys gasped and scattered before it came close. The energy kept going and tore into the capital building. The heat from the beams was so overwhelming that the buildings melted that were in the path. As the smoke started to clear, everyone that could find a window or video monitor had their breath taken away at the horrific scene. Murrue gripped the handles of her chair tightly. "Cover them! Gottfried, prepare to fire!" The portside cannon rotated to get a bearing. "TEI!"

"Teh!" Sting grunted as the energy weapon painted the sky a powerful green. He switched to mobile armor form as he rolled away.

"Tch!" Neo gritted his teeth as he throttled backwards.

Destroy came to the front. "Hhhaaaaaaahhh!" Stellar cast the field around her mobile suit and the energy dispersed in all different directions.

"Eh?"

Neuman's jaw dropped. "It was deflected?"

Cagalli rotated in her seat. "Captain, at this rate, Kira and Adam will…."

The internal communications screen opened up. "Cagalli-sama!" Amagi spoke. "I ask that you let us sortie too."

"Eh? Lieutenant Amagi?"

"Though this battle is not for ORBs sake, doing nothing in the face of this event is a travesty!" The pilots next to him nodded.

Sting and Neo were becoming a nuisance as they tried to defend Stellar. Adam pulled out a beam saber and took two swings at Chaos, forcing him to back away. It cleared the line of fire for Kira, who extended all of his weapons and took the shot at Destroy.

Stellar braced herself and the shield deflected it all, sending them into buildings and streets below. The amputated hands of the demon of death flew through the skies, ganging up on Freedom. Blasts in groups of five hurtled at him in different intervals and directions. Kira's skills were just enough to evade getting shot up. "Eay!" He snarled as his cockpit rumbled.

"Eat this!" Sting fired his bullets and beams at Freedom. Kira sidestepped it just in time. "A mobile suit isn't all about what the machine can do! My pilot skills will take you down!"

"Kuso!" Both Freedom and Chaos exchanged rifle fire as they circled one another.

Three Murasame broke formation and descended on Chaos, rifles releasing their energy payloads as fast as possible. Sting grunted as he blocked one with a shield and tried to take a shot at a passing jet. "Kira-sama!" One of the pilots called out. "We'll handle this!"

"Eh?"

"Daijobu, Kira!" Cagalli was next on the screen as her version of his old MS floated next to him. "Leave this to us."

Her brother smiled. "I gotcha. I'm counting on you." He switched transmissions. "Adam, look after my sister!" The boy saluted and Freedom gunned towards Destroy again.

"Adam, let's start evacuating whoever is left."

"Understood."

"The rest of you, keep Chaos busy!"

"Ma'am!" The Murasame pilots acknowledged. Ikeya started on the offensive. "Let's go, Gou, Nishizawa!"

"Sir!" They all turned formation and transformed, firing their rifles from above as they descended on Chaos.

"Kuso!" Sting hissed as he pulled his shield over his head, trying to evade.

"Rrreeaaaayy!" Stellar's screams echoed through her cockpit as every hand beam she had fired simultaneously.

"Egh!" Kira was getting pissed as he tried to fit through the barrage, barely able to back away.

"Hhaaaaaahhh!" She fired a massive missile barrage as she crouched forward.

Kira would hold back no more. His seed shattered in his eyes, enveloping them in the pure purple of his berserker self. Freedom extended all of its weapons at the missiles and fired without even waiting on the targeting computer. The explosions cascaded around him.

"Kuso!" Neo went on the attack. "I won't let you get close to her!"

A chill went up Kira's spine a moment before the blasts were to hit. He dodged them quickly. "That Windam's style… why?"

Chaos danced around two shots, firing twice at a passing Murasame before almost getting clipped by another rifle blast. Cagalli defended a group of refugees with her shield as Adam cleared them an escape route. Destroy's amputated hands fired again. Kira danced around the beams, spinning one way and then the next. He returned fire with everything he had from an upside down position. Once again they were deflected into buildings.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, ikkimas!" The black-haired Coordinator, and the only ZAFT pilot around with a working unit, gunned his engines.

Instantly radar on all sides of the battle were ablaze with four blips following in a straight line. Adam eyes widened. 'I know that radar shadow!' He took off from his position in the rubble.

"Heat sources incoming, four!" Miriallia yelled over the battle explosions. "This is… Impulse!" All four of its parts formed together into Force Impulse. "Also, Minerva has just come into scanner range!" The two captains stared at each others' ships.

Shinn drew his beam saber and dove for the enemy mobile suit. Stellar fired all her multi-phased beams at him, which he danced around. As Impulse began to close in, at the last second Stellar used her fingers to create a beam web. Nothing could get through, and Shinn had to pull back before he was cut to ribbons. "Kuso! This is going to be tougher than I thought!"

Suddenly an orange Murasame pulled up to him. 'It IS Impulse!' Adam smiled, pulling out his own beam saber in the opposite hand.

"Eh?" Shinn blinked at the suit. "Oh…kay. I don't really get it, but… here we go!" Adam and Shinn took towards Destroy side by side. The two side cannons on Destroy's chest fired, and the boys changed their formation in unison as they curved around the beams. They joined together again as they continued forward.

'Notice! Figure it out!'

"He's matching me move for move! It's just like…" Images of the smiling orange-head came to mind. "No, I'm just imagining things." Shinn shook it off and drove harder. They tried to dance around the Destroy to see if they could make an opening. The strategy failed and the beam web went up again. Neither of them could make the strike. They backed away. "Damn it! I can't even get near this bastard?!"

A wavering orange beam struck Destroy in one of the double barreled cannons, shorting it out. Stellar cringed. "Nani?" The entire world stopped.

"I… I know that shot!" Arthur gasped.

"Yahoo! Here comes the cavalry! Late for the party as usual, but just in time for the tango!" Alan Sheridan and his cut-and-shut ShEZAMS had arrived. The safety lock on his Drunken Breaker released and the buster sent out another blob of orange light into Destroy, which was this time deflected by the Reflector.

"Th… that mobile suit?!" Arthur stuttered.

Adam was tempted to slam his head into the console in front of him. 'Of all the backup in the world, we get this guy?!'

ShEZAMS gunned its METEOR's engines and closed in on the demon. Neo turned to face it. "Just what the hell are you?"

Alan switched from his buster to his CIWS machine gun and fired it into the sky. The peppering of bullets caught Neo off guard, and the beam saber got knocked out of his hands, never to be recovered. The BaCOE-headed suit flipped over Destroy while switching to its beam rifle and fired. No damage resulted. "Heh. The EAF sure go out of their way to make thing as grand as possible. But it looks to me like they're trying to make up for a certain inadequacy though."

'This guy never changes.' Adam facepalmed his helmet.

ShEZAMS flew up to Impulse. "I saw what you were trying to do there. Looks like you could use a bit of a distraction." He pulled out the Breaker again and landed on one of the more intact rubbles. "Try it again and I'll…" A warning beep sounded in his cockpit. "Oh crap." A puff of smoke sent him flying out of the cockpit.

"Again?" Arthur sighed under his breath.

Alan pulled his head out of the ash. "You stupid piece of shit! I ought to dismantle you bolt by bolt! When we get home, I'm SO giving your ass an overhaul!" He tromped up and kicked it in the shin. "Now let me back up!" Obediently, the winch lowered.

Adam flipped open his visor and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Seriously, this is all the backup we get, God?'

"Ahem. As I was saying…." Alan said as he closed the cockpit. "I'll provide the distraction. You just concentrate on that demon!" He fired a shot of his Breaker at Destroy.

Stellar ground her teeth. "I don't know where you came from, but I'll annihilate you, you creepy freak!" The battle was back on in full force. Stellar used her backpack's beams to attack everything that moved.

Shinn just shrugged and went forward, his beam saber drawn. "No worries about it missing something THIS big!" Alan cried as he timed it just right. "Tei!" The weapon's blast impacted Destroy's leg. The energy rippled on impact, and the colossus began to lose its balance on that side. Stellar counterattacked with its hand beams. "Shimatta!"

Adam pulled up in front of him with shield and sword drawn. He blocked two of the beams and batted a third away. 'Come on, come on! Line up another shot!' He thought as he continued to cover the red-head.

"Hrrraaahh!" Shinn saw an opening and fired at the other leg. Destroy started to lower as its systems restarted. Alan targeted the face and fired. Both positron shields in its hands went up to protect it. "This is it!"

Stellar winced. _"Or else creepy things will come to kill us."_

Shinn approached from below, drawing his beam saber. _"So you'd better make me a promise! Give her a place that's kind and warm!"_

"Hhhaaaaaaaaaa!" Both of them cried. As the hands started to lower, they fired at Impulse, which danced into the opening between blasts. He targeted the cockpit, and with a swift slash, the black metal was sliced open like a can of worms.

"Egh!" Stellar winced as metal, plastic, and glass shards attacked her. If she were a few feet further forward in the cockpit….

"Stellar!" Neo heard her cry and broke off from his fight.

"Ugh!" Kira pursued.

"Just what the hell is this monstrosity?" Shinn turned around for another pass.

Stellar's pain was released in the form of tears as she went back on the attack. "Eaaaahhh!" Her rage was reflected in Destroy's attack pattern. There was none. "WwwaaahhhhH!" Entire city blocks were vaporized. Landmarks were reduced to rubble.

"Why are you doing all this?!" Shinn whispered under his breath. The dark mobile suit's demon origins were confirmed as the fires behind it gave its enormous silhouette a new hideous countenance. "Just why are you killing everything in sight?!" Stellar just gritted her teeth as maddened tears streamed down her face. All of her hand weapons discharged at once as Impulse dove for her again. "Eeeaaayy!"

"Cut it out, kid!" Neo fired his rifle twice while at full throttle. He rammed him and locked arms.

"Kuso! What's your problem?!"

"The pilot of that thing… Stellar's in there!"

"Heuh?!" Shinn gasped as he recognized the Windam and the voice. His jaw remained open as his camera zoomed in three times on Destroy's cockpit. Sure as the snow falling, Stellar sat there, sharp shards of metal piercing her flight suit.

"Hmm?" Talia leaned forward.

"Shinn!" Athrun gasped as he watched the monitors.

"What's wrong with him?" Luna held her broken arm close. "Please tell me he didn't get hit!"

Neo let go of Impulse slowly, and Shinn made no move to attack. "Neo!" Stellar squeaked, mistaking the event for aggression as she took a step forward.

Seeing his chance, Kira unfolded the guns on Freedom's hips and charged them. The railgun blasts impacted the corner of the cut in the armor, causing another explosion the girl had to shield herself from. "Stellar!" Neo yelled as Shinn looked on in horror.

Both Freedom and Impulse backed away. "Just what the hell are you doing?! You trying to be a target?!"

Shinn didn't respond. Stellar's arms covered her face. _"Or else…to kill us."_

"No! Don't! I don't want to die! I'm afraid!"

"Tch!" Neo went on the offensive against Freedom again, firing another rifle blast. Kira blocked it with his shield. An explosive throwing knife popped out of the Windam's hip and he hurled it at the nuclear-powered suit. The moment it impacted the shield, it detonated, taking out the defensive measure.

"Murrue-san!" Kira looked back to the Archangel. "I'll leave this one to you!"

"Eh?" She blinked.

Kira dove underneath Neo's next shot and fired two perfectly accurate attacks, severing both the Windam's arms and engines. "Nani? Gyyaaaahhh!" Neo's alarms blared around him.

"Neo!" Stellar squeaked as she saw his smoldering suit. The metallic creation pitched forward on landing. The torso fell off and slid forward, spilling the cockpit's contents before both pieces exploded. "NEO!"

But the man wasn't dead. His mask rolled off to one side as the Archangel closed in. The captain gasped like it was her last breath, recognizing something familiar about the man on the stone below.

"Shinn! What's wrong? Why are you sitting there?! Shinn!" Gladys tried to raise him to no avail.

Adam looked up into the sky. 'Just what is that idiot doing?!'

Stellar convulsed into sobs. "Ah, ah…"

"_Or else…us…."_

"Guuuuhh! NEO!"

Sting wasn't having a good time of it, either. "Damn, she's out of it! We're pulling out, Bonaparte!" The three Murasame in the sky cut him off. "Uh!"

"Geeehhh!" Two spiraled down in a nosedive, firing both their weapons.

"What the?" He didn't get the chance to say more as a shot coursed down his leg. The impact tilted it into another midoric blast that took out his left shoulder pod. "Gaaaahhh!"

The third Murasame transformed. "You won't escape!" He pulled out his beam saber and sliced the suit in half just above the hips. Both pieces turned into true chaos as they exploded.

Stellar gripped her helmet. "No! Don't! NOOOOOO!" Her voice returned to her as she let all her akashic torment loose. Destroy turned and swept the entire area with the deadly red and blue beams, disintegrating everything in its path. Stellar thrashed madly as the tears continued to flow.

"Oh crap!" Alan took to the skied just before the beams came his way.

Adam's Murasame pulled up the Rouge and got out of the way just in time. 'That pilot is psycho! Uh? Chaos… the Windam… USO! That pilot is an Extended?!'

"Enough, Stellar! STELLAR!" Shinn screamed as the air rippled around him.

Kira went full bore as he drew his saber. "Kuso! Stop this already!" Freedom impacted a hand shield, and the other hand fired through it. Kira had no choice but to pull away.

"Geuh!" Shinn gasped. "You too!" He yelled as he targeted Freedom.

"Guh!"

Shinn took two swipes at him. "You have no clue what's going on! In there… in there…!"

"Uwa?!" Arthur's jaw dropped.

"Shinn!" Luna leaned over the sofa.

"What the hell?" Athrun was just as confused.

Impulse did an about face. "Stellar! Stellar! You know me! It's Shinn!" He tried to get closer with all his weapons disengaged.

Stellar's instincts had overpowered her. "No!" Her behemoth took a step. "Dying isn't good! No! Neo!" She fired her hand beams without aiming.

Shinn desperately tried to fit in between them. "Stellar! It'll be okay, Stellar!" She raised a hand for a point-blank shot. His eyes filled with tears as he lifted his head. "You're not gonna die!" Stellar's eyes opened at the familiar words. "I'll do it! I'll protect you!"

Her brain relaxed as she remembered his kindness the day he pulled her from the ocean. "Shinn." She sighed as she sat back, smiling.

The giant arm lowered. "Stel…lar…."

"Shinn!" For a brief, gleeful moment, her soul left her body and intertwined with his in a passionate embrace as they danced among the stars.

Kira blinked at the bizarre scene below him. Before he could close in for a closer look, Adam's Murasame slid in front of him and placed a hand against its chest. "Let's let him handle this one. Fall back a bit, okay?"

"But, Adam…." Kira paused, looking between them all.

Stellar's soul searching ended abruptly as a small explosion in one of her consoles brought her back to consciousness. As she looked out the gaping hole, she saw Impulse almost smiling at her. However, in the background was a mobile suit with eight blue wings, slowly getting closer. Stellar's mind had already identified this azure creature as the Angel of Death, and knowing what the word "die" does to her, seeing its personification was not a good turn of events. _"Or else…"_ She hunched over, her damaged arms shaking. _"creepy things… if it's Stellar, then… kill us."_ She squeaked as she shook her head. Destroy reactivated, its green eyes flashing in the darkness.

"Uh!"

"Ah?"

"Eh?" Kira, Shinn, and Adam all gasped as Destroy took a step forward.

"Not good, Neuman!" The words echoed throughout the Archangel bridge.

"Tristan, take aim!" Minerva's captain ordered. "Target: EAF's giant canopener!"

"Hai!"

"Stellar! Stellar!" Shinn tried to reason with her again. Destroy's cannons were beginning to gather energy for a massive assault. "Get control of yourself, Stellar!"

Freedom broke free of the Murasame. "We've got to end this now!"

'Kira!' Adam chased after the legendary suit.

"UuuaaaaaAAAHHH!" Stellar wasn't hearing a lick of it.

"STELLAR!" Shinn screamed. The weapons were nearing full capacity.

"GgaaaaaAAAHHH!"

A moment before the pent up power was let loose, Freedom plunged its beam saber into the center cannon. "Hhhaa!" Kira whipped out his second saber and stabbed it into the left cannon.

'I didn't want it to come to this, but…!' Adam slammed his saber into the right cannon. They both drew back.

All three chest cannons overloaded, the explosion sending Impulse flying. "STELLAR!"

Everything fell apart around Stellar as the overload cascaded into her cockpit. As a seemingly last hurrah, the final cannon in its mouth let out its pent up energy harmlessly into the sky as it slowly fell backwards. The backpack collapsed under the colossal Gundam's weight. Kira watched wordlessly from above. The demon from the depths, hell's representative, the Devil's advocate, would kill no more. Destroy… was destroyed.

Alan sighed. "Put up a fight to the very end. Only a true animal would do something like that." He turned around and flew back to his workshop for repairs.

"Stellar! Stellar!" Shinn cradled the girl in his arms as he kept her stretched out on his lap. He had loosened her flight suit to make it easier for her to breathe, and also removed some of the shrapnel from her arms and torso. His breath quivered in sorrow. "Why did this happen? Hgh!"

Adam's Murasame had found Impulse, and he landed next to it without a word.

Her eyes twitched for a moment before opening. "Shi…nn?" He said nothing as he stared into her eyes, not even paying attention to the hot tears that streamed down his cheeks. "You came… to see me?" She slowly lifted her arm.

"Unh… unh!" Shinn sobbed as he grasped her hand tightly.

'Where is he?' Adam thought as he got out of his mobile suit, looking up at Impulse's cockpit. 'He's not in there.' Looking every which way through the wreckage, he jogged, trying to find his lost friend.

The purple-eyed girl also had tears in her eyes. "Shinn… you protected Stellar…." She flinched in pain.

"Stellar!"

The girl opened her eyes once again, staring into Shinn's red, tear-filled orbs. "Shinn… I love you." Her body went limp. The words left her mouth as her soul left her body.

As Adam stepped over a pile of rubble, he saw them. "HAH!" He gasped hard, seeing who Shinn was holding.

Her confession left Shinn stunned, as he dropped her lifeless hand. "STELLAR!" His voice was gone, turned into squeaks and chokes. The third time he had lost something precious to him had happened. The tears wouldn't stop. He didn't want them to stop. Shinn crouched over the body of the girl whose affections belonged to him. He tore his head into the air. "HHHEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" It was a scream he used twice before, for Mayu, and for Adam.

Adam trembled, his body shuddering at the sound. He couldn't look away, no matter how hard he tried. The girl in Shinn's arms was the one he tried to kill back at Lodonia, the cause of the fight that created the rift between Shinn and himself before Kurata. He cradled her tightly, as if holding a sleeping lover. Adam began to cry, not fully understanding why.

Shinn stood with her limp form in his arms. He turned around, looking straight at the boy in the yellow helmet. Adam swallowed. The look in the boy's eyes was crazed, offering no recognition at all. He walked forward, struggling with the burden of the young girl who loved him, in an almost robotic state. As Adam stood aside, Shinn walked past without even giving an indication that he knew Adam was even there.

Adam reached a hand out to him, but thought better of it, pulling it back to his side. Instead he walked slightly ahead of the boy, unsealing his helmet and turning to face him. He pointed to himself, waved, did everything he could to get Shinn's attention. Nothing worked. 'Shinn… where did you go?'

Six MPs were impeding their path to their Mobile Suits. "Shinn Asuka! Captain Talia Gladys has ordered you to return to ship for debriefing and for the pilot of the enemy unit to undergo a full autopsy. Please comply."

"Stand aside." He whispered low. Only Adam heard him, and he twitched in fear. He continued forward.

"Shinn Asuka! We will be forced to disable you if you do not follow your orders!"

"Tch!" Adam ran in front of them and spread his arms wide, wincing in pain from his stitches. He shook his head.

"If you are the Murasame's pilot, then you have no authority to prevent us. We may have no orders against you, but we will use force if you impede us!"

"STAND ASIDE!" Shinn roared, sending all seven others into shock. The two closest MPs lowered their weapons as they got a good look in his eyes.

Adam gasped when he saw him. 'Not good!' "Get away." He forced out, weakly. "He'll kill anyone who stops him."

"I don't take orders from you." The lead MP pushed Adam aside and lowered his stun gun to bear.

Adam, off balance, was caught by a second soldier. "Kgh!" Adam drew the club from the MP's waist in a flash, slamming it down on the man's wrists. He sent his fist into the man's face as he wrenched the stun gun away from him.

"Why you!" One of the others grunted as the three remaining conscious officers dove at him. Adam whirled the stun gun around and pulled the trigger, the nodes attaching to the MP and sending a charge through him. He dropped the gun and kicked it hard into the stomach of another MP, before slugging him with his club-re-enforced arm. The citrus-haired boy stepped aside as an MP tried to hit him with a club. He shoved his helmet into the man's stomach, and as he fell forward, sent a blow to the nerve in his neck. The two other MPs that lost the will to fight after seeing Shinn's eyes just stood there, not wanting to risk a confrontation, as Adam glared at them over his shoulder.

All the while, Shinn marched forward. He stepped next to Adam. "Thank you." Adam twitched, looking his way, with a glimmer of hope that Shinn recognized him. There was none, as he continued to walk, his teeth clenched, tears rolling down his cheeks, unblinking.

'Shinn….' Adam took in a disturbed breath as another set of tears ran down his cheek. He watched him take off in Impulse as the two other MPs examined the wounded around him.

He dried his face and handed the stolen club to the nearest one. He stood up and looked Adam in the eye. "They'll be in the hospital for a while, but they're alive." Adam sighed through his nose. "I don't quite get it, but I think things would have been worse if they had gotten in the way, so thank you. I'll probably be reprimanded for this though." Adam put his hands together apologetically before heading for his own mobile suit.

'I was afraid.' Adam closed the hatch and took off for the Archangel. 'Shinn had lost so much already. The death of his family changed him. My supposed death couldn't have been any less severe. And for the third time, someone's life was snatched from his fingertips. After this, I was afraid. Afraid that there was nothing left of the Shinn I had known. Afraid of if what remained… could destroy us all.'

"I am PLANT's Supreme Chairman, Gilbert Durandal. I realize that PLANT and Earth is still consumed in war, so I ask you to forgive my intrusion into your regular broadcasts for this message." Durandal spoke to the world from his office.

A ZAFT patrolman found a little girl shuddering and sobbing in the snow-covered wreckage. "Hey, it's okay now." He knelt down after signaling.

One of the medical crew ran up to them. "Well, come with us. We'll get you somewhere warmer." He gingerly lifted her in his arms.

Shinn got to the fingertips of his mobile suit, the hand gently caressing the water. He knelt down with the limp girl in his arms as Durandal's message continued. "I beg of you to listen for a few minutes of time."

As Shinn's warm tears dripped onto her clammy face, Gichou's Lacus stepped next to him. "I agree that this war began from the terrorist Coordinators that caused the Break the World atrocity." He slowly, gingerly dipped the girl into the water, his tears following her into the drink. "We are constantly reminded of the fact that we couldn't prevent it and the deaths that came of it." As she sank lower into the darkened lake her arms spread wide, as if she were an angel being taken away.

"Well Adam-kun, I'm quite impressed." Archangel's doctor flipped through his charts. "Your internal damage is healing more rapidly than expected." Adam blinked in question. "It looks like you'll be back to speaking in just over a month. I think someone above really likes you."

"Even so, we cannot let things continue as they are!" Mia clenched her fist as all ZAFT personnel on Minerva watched the broadcast. Those present on the legged ship's bridge observed too, save the captain, who stayed by the injured blonde man's side. "There can be no peace in a world coated in gunfire!" The true Lacus winced at the line she once spoke. "There's been enough suffering from the pain and hatred caused by this war, hasn't there?"

After silence and snow covered his back, the red-eyed pilot sat up slowly, the snow sloughing off his back. The sobs were gone. The sadness was gone. His composure now consisted of a snarl and purified hatred. "Freedom!"

"But there are still those that attempt to stand against us. They have done so since time began." Djibril raised his head in surprise at Durandal's statement as realization washed over the faces of those who talked with him in Diocuia. "For the sake of their own profit, they cry 'Fight! Tatakai to! Only cowards refuse to fight! They who disobey are traitors!' With each word fed to us, another weapon is lifted, another enemy is created, another shot is fired! They are the Dealers of Death!" Nine pictures were displayed on the screen of old men, and the last was of Lord Djibril himself. Seeing it, he jerked back and his eyes nearly shot out of their sockets. "My truest desire is to never have war in a peaceful world. Therefore, I hereby declare that this world's true enemy, LOGOS, will be removed from this world!"

Those in the refugee camp next to Minerva raised their fists and weapons into the air in cheers that reached even the ears of those inside the ship. "Durandal! Durandal! Durandal!"

Athrun stood there, unmoving, except for the nervous quiver in his eyes. "Gichou…."

Durandal moved the black pawn in position to take the white rook. "Well now, all the pieces are in place." After a pause he looked at the discarded pieces. He picked up a knight and stared at it. "Or are they? As expected the black and white knights moved against the rook, but these two…." He paused the Destroy video on the Murasame and ShEZAMS. "These two are unknowns. Iie, only one is an unknown, it's just that the Blue Knight has returned to the game." He took a breath and sighed. "The Red Knight's move is next. In the next few turns, everything must become clear." He put the knight back down on the board. "Or else trouble may arise."

Two rocket launcher model BaCOEs fired the top rows of their arms, something the legged ship's CIWS cannons had to take care of. "Ten degrees portside! We'll use that plateau as a shield." Ramius ordered quickly. Neuman obeyed with a grunt.

"Valiant one, tei!" Amagi ordered from his station in the CIC Pit.

"Valiant two, tei!" Meyrin also cried. She lent her battle experience here to defend herself and Adam. The electrified bullets erupted from the side cannons, firing back into the squad of BaCOEs.

Two BABIs cleared the line of fire for their chest cannons. Freedom dodged left to miss the attacks, and rolled right for the second round. From his upside-down position he fired everything at once, effectively decapitating and dismembering the enemies. "Murrue-san! Egh!" He had no time to talk as another BABI came down from above. Freedom backed off and shot a blast through its flight unit.

High above the battle, the AWACS DINN recorded the battle, sending data to the Lesseps-class battleship. The ship's cannon shells were sent hurtling just short of the Archangel. A missile got through their guard and impacted the neck of the ship, rattling everyone. More missiles came from below, starboard aft, which a chaff-cartridge set off before they could hit.

"Kuso!" Kira charged up his rail cannons, sending the BaCOE formation scattering before the shots hit the snow beside them.

"Just what's going on here?" The captain complained.

"This is bad!" Amagi called up. "We're being corralled like a bunch of cattle!"

"I already know that! But why did ZAFT turn violent all of a sudden?"

Neuman took his observation. "Whatever the reason, they've got us surrounded on every side!"

Meyrin gasped. "Missiles, incoming from the rear!"

"How many?"

"Too many!"

"Kaihee!"

"Egh!" Kira once again emptied his weapons into the cloud of high yield explosives before they got close to the ship.

The red and gray ZAFT battleship floated through the snowy mountains. Shinn sat in his flight suit, gripping his helmet tightly before standing and taking the long walk to the pilots lounge. In the Captain's chambers, Athrun smacked the desk. "You heard what the Chairman said. 'Take out Logos!' Since when has the Archangel turned into Logos? Don't you see that there's something fishy about this order? I demand you contact HQ and…."

"Damn it, I did that already! TWICE!" Talia stood up, sending her chair flying back. "The answer was always the same. 'Due to their ability to fuel the flames of war and create chaos on the battlefield without showing their intentions, Archangel and Freedom are considered a threat that would best be eliminated from future affairs.' That's the logic HQ is using!"

"Even so…!"

"There's nothing that can be done about it! The operation is going on as we speak!" Athrun swallowed hard.

On the bridge. "AWACS signal is coming in. Patching it through."

Arthur looked up at the infra-red broadcast. "Oh?"

The Lesseps fired again. Barreling around some linear cannon fire, Kira's rifle discharged, lancing through some of the shells. "Captain!" Amagi was practically climbing out of his station. "We won't win at this rate! Please authorize deadly force! If that's unacceptable, then please use the Murasame squadron!" As his pleading continued, Kira pulled out a beam saber and entered a formation of Babis, decapitating and dismembering with each swing.

"Denied." She looked around her seat. "You know what Kira-kun said! They might be trying to force us to do just that!"

"Kh!"

"Argh, chikshou! Lt. Amagi, please let us sortie!" The squadron sat on standby in the dining hall.

"We're taking every Murasame we've got back to ORB!" Murrue spoke over the explosions. Two BaCOES charged forward and fired missiles. Kira slid to the side and dodged, rocketing towards them with his beam saber. He sliced off a front leg and a missile battery, making the dog-like suit tumble to a stop. The last few missiles detonated behind the legendary battleship. "If we can just get to the ocean… until then hang on, everyone!"

"Hai!"

All of Minerva's weapons were armed and ready to go. "Distance left to target point: 20!" Burt reported. "The enemy encounter is now imminent."

"Condition Red announced! Pilots, please stand by in their units!" The call came over the PA. With the first buzzer, Shinn grabbed his helmet and started the slow walk to the hangar elevator.

"Shinn." Ray spoke as he and Luna looked on. "It'll be okay. I know you can take him."

"Uwa?"

Something wasn't sitting right with Adam as he surveyed the situation from the bridge. The explosions had stopped, and there wasn't anyone on their tail. 'We couldn't have shaken them off that easily, could we?' He thought. 'No. Something must be coming.' Kira was thinking on the same lines as he continued patrolling the area.

"Sank you." Shinn's confident smile returned.

Shinn's elevator arrived and he stepped in just as Athrun entered the lounge. "Uh, Shinn!" He yelled. "Don't do this." Shinn just scoffed as he jammed the close button.

On the bridge, Talia fixed her hat and assumed command. "Jamming warheads, launch! Send out Impulse!"

"Sir!"

The Isolde cannons fired simultaneously, the blasts spreading out in front of Archangel, its EMP shockwave blinding the ship. Minerva's Central Catapult raised the little blue jet to the runway. Shinn hit the throttle and ejected into the blizzard outside, barrel rolling to get his bearings in the correct direction. The other two Flyers and Force Silhouette were soon in entering the wintry skies afterwards. All of Minerva's missiles fired at once, taking the blind Archangel by surprise as the missiles slammed into the snow behind them.

Kira was also dodging the large blasts as he skimmed the mountainside. As his sensors finally came back to life, they immediately let off a proximity alarm from above. In a flash of thruster light, Impulse came down upon him. "Hhhhaaaahhh!" Shinn fired his rifle at the nuclear suit, which spread its wings and twisted away.

Archangel was lead to the perfect spot. As they rounded a cliff, a familiar sight slid into their path, nearly hidden by the fog of the blizzard. "Minerva!" Ramius's heart skipped a beat. Adam and Meyrin almost jumped from their seats.

"Visual confirmation of the Archangel. Distance: 3000!"

"Isolde, TEI!" Arthur ordered as Talia watched, stonefaced.

All three cannons fired at once. The marigold-eyed captain reeled back in shock. "Geagh!" Neuman cranked the wheel hard, lifting the Archangel's left leg just enough for the shells to pass under them. The resilient ship went at a 45 degree angle as it avoided collision with Minerva.

"Gwaahh!" Arthur choked on his own breath as he watched them pass.

The goddess of war began a gigantic U-turn, as the ashitsuki leveled out once more. Adam launched out of his chair. "It can't be! Why is that ship after us? Just what the hell is going on?" As the statement hung in the air, Shinn kept the pressure up against Kira, with Athrun grunting in frustration while watching the monitors.

Archangel's missile batteries shot off, sending a counterattack against Minerva, giving them all a shake and a scare. "Gwwaaaahh!" Arthur braced himself against his console.

"It's okay, everyone!" Gladys knew it already. "As long as we keep steady, they won't hit us."

"Eh?"

"I knew they weren't trying for a direct attack."

"Wha?"

"Burt, open up the International SOS channel!"

"Uh, hai!"

The woman picked up the phone in her chair. "This is ZAFT military vessel Minerva's captain, Talia Gladys. Archangel, do you read me?"

"Hua?" Arthur's jaw dropped.

"Captain!" Milly's console picked it up. "Transmission from Minerva."

"Eh? Onscreen!" Murrue responded. Adam helped Meyrin climb out of CIC so they could watch the video monitor.

"This ship is currently under orders from HQ to attack and destroy your ship." The blonde woman said without reservation. Everyone on the opposing ship's bridge flinched. "But seeing the situation as it is, if you lower your weapons, disarm your mobile suits, and surrender, this ship will also end its assault." As she announced this, Kira looked to the Archangel as he dove away from Impulse.

"Captain…." Arthur's jaw nearly dislodged.

"This is the only warning you'll receive. There will be no negotiations after your reply. The lives of your crew will be guaranteed. Please make the wise choice." The screen blipped out as she hung up.

Murrue's eyes quivered as she thought. "Captain…." Neuman turned to glance towards her.

Everything was silent for a moment. "Just like Minerva's captain, isn't it?" She sighed. "I don't want her as an enemy either."

"But surrendering to ZAFT will mean that Cagalli-sama…." Amagi rose.

"Kgh! Amagi!" Cagalli stood rapidly.

Miriallia's screen beeped. "It's Kira!"

"Urgent: Dive/Dive/Dive Priority1: Take Cagalli to ORB. Head for the sea. That's what matters here!" How he was able to type it was unknown, Impulse keeping him extremely busy.

"Kira, that's not the point!" Cagalli was in a panic. "I…." Adam stepped in front of her and raised an arm, tightening the other into a fist. "Adam?" He motioned towards Meyrin, and she nodded.

"Ramius-cancho!" Meyrin pressed her hand to her chest. "Make use of us!"

"Eh?" The entire bridge turned towards them.

"Use us as bargaining chips!"

"Meyrin, that's…" Cagalli was stunned to say the least. Adam put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat. "Adam… you're really going to do this? You're one of us though! Both of you!"

"We're still members of the Minerva's crew. Let me talk to them. I know she'll listen to me!" The pinkish-redhead begged as her pigtails fluttered. "This ship has to go on!"

"Meyrin…." The captain sighed. "Miriallia-san, open the same channel they used."

"Hai."

The captain picked up her line. "Archangel's captain, Murrue Ramius speaking. I must say I'm grateful for your proposal. Thank you. Unfortunately, that is an offer we cannot accept."

"Eh?" Arthur blinked.

"Our ship still has more to do. EAF and PLANT is still trying to divide the world into two colors. There apparently is no room for a third color like ours, but that's all the more reason we can't remove ourselves from this world. But I am not about to escape without fair compensation. Therefore, I make a proposal of my own in hopes you will take it. For ceasing your pursuit of our vessel, we shall return two of your crewmembers whom we rescued from the Kurata battle, Meyrin Hawke and Adam Cancho."

"Nani?" Talia was stunned.

The two teens came in front of the camera, their arms wrapped over each others' shoulders, Adam flashing the peace sign. Meyrin took the handset. "Captain, can you hear me?"

Talia's hand twitched for a moment before she snatched the phone up and put it to her ear. "How do I know you're really Meyrin Hawke?"

"Hmm… You like the old Japanese PC game MajiPuri because of its touching plot!" She stuck out her tongue. Talia sweatdropped. "Captain, please just listen. I know that orders are orders, but you've got the power of FAITH. Change the order, just this once! Although we've been well taken care of here, we want to come back home."

"Captain… what if this is a trick?" Arthur protested. She held up her hand in response.

"Captain, I need to come home! I want to see Lumi!" Meyrin's eyes started to well up. "Ever since she got taken out, I've wondered 'is she alive or dead?' Please let me come back!"

Talia clenched her fist. "Meyrin… put Ramius back on."

"Captain!" Arthur stood up.

"Ramius speaking."

"Proposal… accepted." Talia was very slow in answering. "As an officer of FAITH, I exercise my right to edit the order to authorize this deal under our terms! Send Meyrin back immediately as a show of good faith, and Adam will be returned as you submerge into the ocean. This is not up to debate. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Murrue sighed in relief. "I thank you for this."

"And thank you for keeping them safe." Both hung up their respective lines. "Anyone with objections can confine themselves to quarters. Understood?"

"Hai!" No one moved.

"Lunamaria." The lounge screen opened to the bridge. "Go down to the hangar. We're taking aboard someone you're going to greet." The video switched back before Luna could ask anything. She looked back to Athrun and Ray with the same dumbfounded look.

In front of Meyrin's pod, Adam typed out a message. "Say hi to Luna for me when you get there."

"I will, and I'll let Shinn know you're on your way too." She tood on her tiptoes and leaned into him, their lips caressing. "Be safe."

"You too." He whispered as she climbed into the pod and sealed it shut.

The battleship goddess opened its port catapult and admitted the tiny capsule into docking position. Talia picked up the line again. "Reception complete. As promised, this ship will suspend its pursuit. However if Adam Cancho is not returned, we will pursue with deadly force!"

"Understoood. Please, forgive us for the escape." The opposing captain nodded.

Guards surrounded the life pod with weapons leveled as Lunamaria approached. The door opened slowly to reveal the girl in the green ZAFT uniform. The similar colors of the two girls' eyes met. Their faces spread into joyous smiles and their eyes clouded with tears. They ran to each other and embraced tightly. "Onee-chan!"

"Mirei! You're… you're…!"

"Unh! Lumi too! He's going to absolutely flip when he gets here!" Meyrin sighed.

"He? He who?"

"Adam, Lumi. Adam's coming back too." Meyrin's smile and Luna's shock both turned to fear and surprise when the entire ship shook from a nearby explosion.

At the same time, on the Lesseps bridge. "Gladys, that fool!" The commander was boiling over his jowels. "Have all squads re-initiate their attack! That captain's taunts will not go unpunished!" The BaCOEs and BABIs charged again. The flying purple suits shot missiles from their wings at the legged ship. One of those missiles exploded right in front of the Minerva, rocking the ship.

Thinking it was over, Kira was just about to relax, until the missiles started firing again. As he tried to get back into the canyon, Shinn stopped him by firing a shot in his path. They met eye to eye. "Quit running!"

"Shinn!" Athrun cried, looking at the monitors.

"Commandar Willard!" Gladys was furious. "Just what the hell are you doing?"

"I am destroying the enemy! You can either help or stay out of the way! I don't care if you're in FAITH or not. This plan was arranged so perfectly to pressure them. There is no way I'll waste this opportunity!" Two BABIs fired their core cannons at the escaping ship, quickly deflected by an anti-beam cartridge.

Shells hurtled at the Archangel, exploding all around. Adam fell to the floor. "What the hell? They're shooting at us again?"

"Shit! Archangel!" Kira looked back once again while firing at Shinn. Impulse took it in the shield and advanced.

"Hhhhyyeeeaaahhh!" Shinn charged forward.

Freedom fired a shot at Impulse's head. It tilted to one side at the last second, the energy going between his head and beam saber. "Uh!"

"Do you think that every time you try that trick, you'll be able to get away with it?!" Shinn cried out, and in a flash of rainbow colors his pupils solidified. Kira fired two more shots high, which Shinn dodged with a few twitches of his joystick.

"Shinn, you've got to stop!" Athrun stood. "Kira will…"

One shot: Shinn raised his rifle arm, and the blast went under. Second shot: Impulse tilted to one side as the blast skimmed past his cheek. Both suits exchanged fire as they circled around each other. "Khh!" Shinn clicked as Kira lined up another blast. Impulse's rifle arm rose up, and the energy was wasted. The next attack was aimed at his head, which Shinn raised his shield to block. "Heh."

"_Freedom's speed and accuracy is almost unmatched in basically every category." Ray inspected the readings. "But it never aims for the cockpit!"_

"_Uwah?" Shinn blinked as Ray displayed the suits Freedom had downed._

"_It always aims for either the weapons or the main camera. This is where Impulse's victory lies."_

Freedom pulled out the saber on its left hip, and Impulse followed suit. They clashed sword and shield in the sky, sending sparks flying. They kicked off of each other with a grunt. Shinn threw his shield at Freedom and fired a midoric charge directly at it. The deflection angle bit into Freedom's left shoulder armor. Kira barely had time to notice, as the next shot barely skimmed over his head. The next attack was a beam saber swipe that Kira ducked under. He whipped out his own, curving high. Both shield arm and head were removed. "Minerva! Chest Flyer! Force Silhouette!" Shinn ordered as the Phase Shift Armor discharged. Core Splendor disengaged from the chest and legs, and the Force pack remained on the Chest Flyer as he remote piloted it to ram Kira.

Freedom blocked it with its shield, but the measure wasn't going to help. Going forward, Core Splendor emptied its vulcans into the top half of his suit, detonating it. "Geeegh!" Kira grunted as he tried to keep it together as he began a free fall. Athrun gasped as he saw the maneuver.

Impulse re-formed as Kira slid down the mountainside, but his leg gave out and he fell. "Gaaahh!"

"Kira!" Cagalli saw him in her monitor, but more explosions shaking the ship prevented her from doing much else.

Freedom righted itself, and Impulse drew a new beam saber from his fresh Silhouette. "Rrraaahhh!" He took a downwards swing, and Freedom leapt into the air before it could connect. The snow below turned to steam instantly. Jumping to parallel they met eye to eye again. "I told you you weren't getting away!"

"Kgh!" Kira gritted his teeth as he pulled back.

Impulse took two swings, one forward, one back. "You're the one that killed Stellar!" Shinn's rage overpowered him. "And I was trying to stop her!" He brought his sword down in another vertical swipe.

Freedom backflipped in midair and came around for a saber attack at the waistline. At the last second, Shinn uncoupled the Leg Flyer, so the Gundam's sword passed between them. "Wha?" Kira couldn't react to the move fast enough as Shinn shot out his left wing. "Ugh!" He winced as his cockpit shook.

"Costal distance: just 10 more!" The pilot cried as missiles rained down around Archangel.

"We're not going to make it!" Amagi was desperate. "Send out the Murasames!"

"We'll just have to shake them off!" Ramius was dead set.

"Kuso… Archangel is…" Kira was desperately trying to make it back to his ship on only half his thrusters. "Egh."

Plus Impulse was still on his tail. Freedom hastily ducked another shot. "I'm going to take you down! Right here! Right now!"

Shinn fired two more shots to the waist. One Kira dodged, but the other had to be blocked by the shield. "Something like this… there's no doubt that he's…." Kira tried to find an opening to fire his rifle, but Shinn saw it and lanced through the weapon.

"Minerva! Sword Silhouette!"

"Captain they're nearly at the coast!" Arthur turned towards her. "They're about to get away!"

She sighed. "Arm the Tannhauser. Target: Archangel!" The main cannon extended from its housing inside the ship.

"Lock down all bulkheads! Prepare to dive!" Murrue cried over the explosions.

"Hai!"

"Uh? Captain!" Milly was on alert. "The starboard hatch is...!"

"Eh?"

Adam zipped up his flight suit. 'Everything is turning chaotic. At the very least, I have to save the Archangel.' As the hatch opened, his eyes opened, showing the resolve in his pure brown pupils. "Adam Cancho, Murasame, kissing the sky!" The boy's suit transformed into MS and armed itself with rifle and saber. Adam tossed the saber into the eye of a BABI and shot out the wings of another. He pulled in close and ripped the saber out. He transformed into MA and fired the missiles on its wings and inner hatches, stripping two more of their limbs. 'I have to give them enough time!'

Freedom was nearly at the coast as Impulse rendezvoused with the Sword Silhouette. Putting away saber and rifle, Shinn ripped out the beam boomerang and sent it spinning towards Kira. "Uh!" Kira gasped as he flipped around and blocked with his shield. The impact sent the boomerang into the water, but Kira was deflected as well.

The Silhouette ejected one of the Excalibur anti-ship swords, and Impulse grabbed it with both hands. "GuuuRRRAAAHH!" He nose-dived the nuclear suit.

Archangel hit the water and began to go under. Adam's opponents started to disappear as they pulled back. 'Why are they…' Then he saw the Minerva. 'Oh shit! Get below now, damn it! Kira… where's Freedom?' He saw him, or rather, them. Freedom more then gently caressed the water as Impulse headed straight for him with the Silhouette Flyer as a wingman. 'I've got to stop them!' He cranked his jets to overload and put out everything he had, the entire mobile armor shaking like mad.

"We have to hurry!" Arthur yelled. "If they go under completely, they win!" Talia looked away. "TEI!"

Athrun looked on in horror as the pink and blue beam erupted from the ship, casting a straight line of plasma explosions into Archangel's position. "Uh?!" The explosion caught Kira's eye, but the alarm in his radar returned to the danger in front.

"Guuuuaaahhh!"

Adam saw the explosion out of the corner of his eye, but wasn't worried about it at the moment. A piece of his fuselage armor tore off in a small explosion. "Kgh! Shinn!"

"Agh!" Kira tried to back up as fast as possible as he shielded Freedom's torso and brought his beam saber in position to strike.

"Shinn, stop it! Kah!" One of his displays shorted out in his face.

"HhhyyYYEAAAHHH!" All of Impulse's momentum went to the tip of his sword.

Freedom's beam saber javelined Impulse's head. The sword's tip drove straight through Freedom's shield, and an orange shield slammed on top of it, forcing the attack to go lower into the torso. The world was silent for a moment as the Murasame pulled out its beam saber and cut Freedom's head and chest loose from the rest of the suit.

Dropping his weapons the Murasame took hold of the remaining piece and dove into the shockwave that was billowing out from the Tanhausser hit. The excess power and force blew Minerva to the side as it overtook Impulse. The Murasame's armor began to disintegrate. He lost the main camera. "Kira… Go home…. GO HOME!" Adam's rhaspy voice hissed as he gave the last bit of momentum into kicking the cockpit into the ocean. The Murasame's limbs dissolved. "GAAAHHH!"

Athrun's mouth was agape. When the smoke cleared over the water, there was part of one suit left. Impulse floated lopsided over the water, Phase Shift down, without arms, without a head, and everything else heavily damaged. Still Seeded, Shinn teared up and chuckled while looking to the sky. "I did it. Stellar, with this I avenge you." He continued to laugh.

Athrun took a step forward, staring at the aftermath. "KIIIRRRRAAA!"

Citizens around the world took up arms in guerilla units, taking military supplies and weapons and began attacking anything and everything associated with Logos. Mansions were peppered with gunfire and rockets. "Drag out Logos!"

"Logos bastards!" An entire skyscraper was glowing red from the fires within.

Sequestered in the equestrian club, Djibril stared at the security cameras as one of the masked assaulters shot it out. "Lord Djibril!"

"He's the leader of Blue Cosmos! Drag him out to the square!"

"Djibril!" The remaining Logos members made contact one by one.

"Send help, please! The mobs have made it to my mansion!"

"Djibril, there's got to be something you can do!"

As another man yelled in pain, the head clenched his fist. "This can't… this can't be happening! Damn it all!" He took off running, leaving his meowing cat to follow on its own. "Curse you, Durandal!"

Amidst blizzard, rocks, metal, and flames, a boy in yellow awoke to the sound of footsteps. He struggled to lift his head, seeing high heeled boots in front of him. His energy gave out as he saw the ruff of the fur coat and he collapsed. "Take him and destroy what's left. We wouldn't want our ZAFT friends snooping around." The figure ordered in a teenage girl's voice.

"Ma'am."

She turned around as her comrades ran past her, looking up to the mountainside and the almost warm-looking city there. "I won't let it be over." She sniffed.

At ZAFT's Gibraltar base, a shuttle being escorted by no less than four BABIs came in for a landing. Once safely on the ground, Chairman Durandal himself shook the hand of the base commander.

In the belly of Minerva, Shinn was winched down with applause and cheers the entire way. "Yo! Way to go!" One of the techs spoke.

"Shinn!" Vino ran out to greet him as they crowded him. "That was incredibly awesome, you!"

"Nah, no way." He joked as he prodded him with his elbow.

"You really get him, that Freedom?" Another mechanic asked.

"Yeah, well…."

"Ah, _someone_ is going to get a medal for this one!" Youlan put his two cents in.

"No joke! You're invincible, man!"

Amidst the laughter, Shinn's hawkish eyes spotted a flash of blue and parted the sea of humanity. "Shinn, no!" Luna whispered. She had stayed behind to greet him as well, after sending Meyrin off to debriefing. Her warning was too little too late.

Athrun turned towards the door, trying to avoid the whole situation. "I've claimed my revenge." Shinn spoke in a standoffish manner. Athrun looked over his shoulder without saying a word. "Got yours too."

"Kgh!" Athrun whirled around and grabbed his collar, jarring the helmet from his hand.

"The hell's your problem?"

"Athrun! Shinn!" Luna gasped as she and a few of the techs ran forward.

"Can you really be so happy that you took him down? You feeling proud now?" Luna and Vino went to their sides. "Kira wasn't planning on killing you! He was just… and then you go ahead and…! What fucking dictionary calls that 'revenge'?"

"Is being happy suddenly a bad thing?" Shinn retorted, lowering his brow. "After defeating the strongest enemy you've faced, being proud is now a bad thing?" Shinn grabbed his wrist tight. "Then what would you suggest? Maybe weep and mope around? How about I pray instead? I bet you would have preferred it if I had gotten myself killed out there, isn't that right?"

That did it. "Shinn!" Athrun threw a hard right cuff into his cheek, throwing him back.

"Damn you!" Shinn hissed after Ray had caught him.

As they went for each other, they hit human barriers as Lunamaria and the others held them back. "Don't do this!" Vino grunted.

"Hey, simmer down!" Youlan tightened his grip on Shinn.

"Enough of this, Athrun!" Ray turned towards him.

"Tch!" Athrun clicked as he straightened. "There wasn't any reason for him to be shot down!"

"HAA?" Shinn stuck his neck out.

"Kira and Archangel weren't our enemies!"

"What the hell's wrong with you? They're the worst…!"

"They're enemies." Ray raised an arm to cut Shinn off. Athrun stiffened. "Though we will never know what their intentions were, when HQ classified them as such, enemies are what they were."

"Ray!" Athrun thrust against Vino's shoulder.

"Overthrowing their decision isn't something you can do. We here are ZAFT, after all." Ray saluted the hissing Athrun and took Shinn roughly by the wrist. "Come on, idiot." He forcibly dragged the boy away from the conflict.

"Tch!" Athrun ripped away from Vino and Luna, turning towards another door.

After a long shower and an extremely restless night's sleep, Meyrin went to see the Captain clothed as a civilian. A few seconds after the door closed from her admission, a resounding slap echoed through the office. "I really don't care if you press charges for that, considering that when we get to Gibraltar, I'll be resigning my commission." Meyrin put her wounded hand in her pocket. "I won't be a part of ZAFT anymore."

Talia lowered her head and rubbed her cheek. "What brought this on?"

"Kgh!" Meyrin gritted her teeth hard. "Need I remind you of the person that should be standing here right now? In case you forgot, his name was Adam Cancho! What did you do, sink your memories of him with the Archangel? Or maybe you wrote him off when you fired the Tannhauser!"

"You're out of line!" Talia stood up quickly.

"SO ARE YOU!" Meyrin pounded the table. "You made a deal with Ramius as a member of FAITH and yet you STILL attacked her! Now everyone on that ship is dead, including one of your own crewmates!"

"Now hold it right there, Meyrin! I'm not just going to let that go unargued! Commander Willard was the one that resumed the attack after the deal, not me!"

"I've already seen the tapes, and all I see is that you didn't do a fucking thing to stop him! You have the status, you have the emblem, but you didn't use them at all! The golden captain of ZAFT turns out to be gold plated after all!" This time it was the girl's turn to be slapped.

"AND STAY QUIET!" Gladys took a breath before continuing. "The agreement had already been broken. As a ZAFT soldier, even though I was against it, I was still obliged to finish the mission to the best of my abilities. That's why I ordered the Tannhauser to fire! The situation was already lost!"

Meyrin whispered through her teeth as she shielded her wounded cheek. "And for that, Adam had to die?" Gladys turned her head away. "An organization that goes back on its word and doesn't defend its own members… Now you know why I'm sick of this!" She left without being dismissed, heading to her quarters so she could release the tears she had fought back the whole time.

Adam opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, his entire body sore. "Man I have got to stop making a habit of waking up in strange places with no less than fifteen bruises."

The doorbell to Meyrin's room rang once. The girl ignored it as she sprawled out on her bed. The second ring came and she covered her head with a pillow. The third ring came. "Gruh! Whatever you're selling, I don't want it!"

"Not even boy scout cookies?" A male voice answered.

"Athrun-san?" She slid the door open. "What are you doing here?" She stepped aside.

"Well, word travels fast on a small ship…."

"If you think you're talking me out of it, you can do an about face right now while the door is open."

"No, no. Don't misunderstand me. From what I've seen, no one is taking into account how you feel. I'm just here to offer my support… and some cookies." Athrun pulled out a box from behind his back as he stepped in fully. "Go ahead and try them. I'm afraid I'm not really good at cooking, so I borrowed your sister's recipe. Hope you don't mind."

Meyrin paused before her teeth sank into one. "This is Lumi's recipe?"

"Better than borrowing the mess hall's."

"Dare I ask?"

"I stopped at line two, where it said 'two parts lard.'"

"In that case, itadekimasu." Meyrin bit down and instantly made a face. She forced it down quickly. "Kaugh! Stick to piloting!"

Athrun rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Lacus was usually the cook."

"So Lacus prepared something for you in Diocuia?" The redhead poured herself a drink to wash down the bastardized treat.

"Um, yeah! She woke me up with breakfast, and completely surprised me! Eh heh."

Meyrin looked past the glass as she drank. "You can drop the act. I know that Lacus was a fake."

"Eh? What? But… but…."

"I was on the Archangel, remember? Can't stay on that ship too long without having a few things turned upside down, I'll tell you that." She placed her glass down and sighed. The silence hovered between them for a while, until her unasked question had the courage to come out. "Athrun-san, why aren't you more like me right now?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"I lost the man I love in a meaningless battle. ZAFT was the cause, and what they did disgusts me. You had a ship full of your friends blow up right in front of you, and your best friend taken out by your wingman. You even know about the Lacus deception. Yet you still stay on. I would have quit ten times over by now if I were you."

"You don't want to compare me to you, Meyrin. It's far more complicated than that. I thought the Chairman, even with the Lacus stunt, was generally heading in the right direction. I have to see it through, and stay with my choice to the very end."

"But Athrun-san… you're miserable." He took that statement with surprise. "Seeing you lately, you've been far from happy. Your place isn't here anymore, is it? With the Logos hunt going on, you've been on the sidelines the entire time. Shouldn't you be searching for a new path?"

"You're wrong, Meyrin. This is where I have to be, just like you."

"Oh boy. Here we go." Meyrin rolled her eyes.

"Meyrin, a communications and intelligence officer is hard to find, and even harder to replace. They're a rare breed. To seamlessly relay orders from the captain to mobile suits and maintenance personnel in a voice that the entire crew knows and trusts, that's a big duty."

"Athrun-san, just…" The pigtailed girl was stunned when he put a finger to her lips.

"We both know that the battles are only going to get harder, and I know that every time the intercom sounds, there is always someone hoping you'll be on the other end. Truth is, out of the people in this room, you're the most important." Athrun grabbed the failed food experiment and started towards the door. "I know your mind is made up, but think about it. It's a pretty big ship, you know. Hundreds of people on a megaton mass of floating metal. That's a lot of friends I would hate to lose." With that, he let the door close behind him.

They had finally made it. After leaving Carpentaria so long ago, Minerva was on its final approach to Gibraltar, and the day couldn't be any better. "This is Gibraltar Port Control." They hailed as numerous submarines surfaced in formation with the flagship. "LHM-BB01 Minerva, we welcome you." Arthur and the rest of the bridge stood in awe at all the ships that came in, so much so that the door slid open without anyone noticing. "In a few moments we will escort your ship to Platform Two. Please confirm the beacon."

"This is Minerva. We're confirming the guidance beacon now." The captain turned around quickly, with her mouth open in surprise. Meyrin stood at her old station in full uniform, her earpiece hanging off her ear. She saluted. "Gladys-cancho, Meyrin Hawke requesting permission to return to duty, ma'am!"

The older woman's look turned from surprise to relief. "Granted. Welcome home, Meyrin."

Once docking was complete, a transmission reached Meyrin's screen. "Eh? Captain, HQ is ordering Shinn Asuka and Athrun Zala to report in person."

"Mm?"

"Haro! Haro! Thank you!" The red mechanical monster flapped its arms while in Mia's hands. She and Durandal stood in a dark hangar with a spotlight from above on them.

"Pardon me, sir!" An MP saluted from the door. "Shinn Asuka and Athrun Zala have reported as ordered."

"Mmm." Durandal smiled as Mia gasped happily. As Shinn and Athrun took the long walk along the platform, they peered into the darkness, and the metallic shadows within. Once in the spotlight, they saluted. "Yo. I'm glad to see the two of you again."

"It has been a while, Chairman." Athrun spoke politely.

Once they finished their salute, Shinn spoke up himself. "Your message the other day really touched me, sir!"

"Arigato." Durandal nodded. "Though I have many things I want to talk about, you should take a look at these first." He gestured to the shadows on either side of the platform. "I noticed you glimpsing at them when you came in." The lights came on, and both pilots gasped. Before them were two new mobile suits. No, not just mobile suits, Gundams. "ZGMF-X42S, Destiny. X666S, Legend. I'll show you the specs later, but they'll play a large role in the next few battles."

"Hah!" Shinn's mouth dropped open in admiration.

"Chairman, are you saying…" Athrun looked up at him with a cross face.

"They're your new units." He didn't let him finish.

"Ngh!" Athrun gritted his teeth.

In contrast, Shinn whipped around with the face of a kid with a new toy. "My own… brand new…?"

"Unh." Durandal nodded. Shinn turned to bask in its glow once again, as Athrun took a few steps back in denial. He stared at the steady man with a trembling brow. He tilted his head away, letting out a painful breath through his nose. His reaction didn't go unnoticed to Mia. Of course Durandal saw it as well. He turned towards Shinn. "Destiny has been tweaked in hopes that you will be in the seat."

"Eh? You mean me, sir?"

"Unh." Durandal nodded. "We used the latest combat records from Impulse."

"Ah…" He turned towards the gray machine again.

Athrun spat through his nose and lowered his brow. "Something wrong, Athrun?"

He took a moment to weave the words together. "And these are supposed to assist in the fight against Logos?" Both Mia and Shinn were taken off guard in curiosity. "Fighting against Logos will end the war. You said so yourself, Gichou."

"Ah. The battle to end a war is a rather oxymoronic concept. But it's something we can't help, can we? They're no longer listening to reason, after all." Athrun squared his shoulders as he struggled to keep his emotions down. "That being so, we have to fight."

"However…!" Athrun raised his voice.

"That's the reason why they have to be taken down for good." Durandal would have none of it as he stepped up to the teen. "These are for the sake of winning the final battle."

"Eh?" Both of the pilots didn't expect that. "The final… um, sir?" Shinn realized he was being impolite.

The Chairman decided to finish his conversation on the rail, looking up at Legend. "When it comes down to it, no one wants to take up arms. But anger, sadness, worry, and dissatisfaction plague the populous and force them to fight. Logos uses this to their advantage, all for the sake of their selfishness. Therefore, being rid of them, the world will be one that everyone desires. War won't exist. If there isn't unhappiness, no one will lift a weapon." Athrun looked away as it soaked in. "I know it sounds like a dream, but I seriously wish to create such a world." Shinn smiled and looked back to Destiny and considered how it would help. "So for that desire, I want you two to keep up your best for a little longer."

"Hai!" Shinn spoke excitedly. Athrun wasn't so lively. In fact he didn't say anything at all, which worried Mia to no end.

Adam opened his eyes and looked around the room he lay in, decorated like an upper middle class home. A thick leather arm-chair faced the door, with a bookstand right next to it. "Yep, I am definitely starting to see a trend here with waking up in strange places." He muttered to himself. The citrus-haired boy tried to sit up, but he couldn't. "Huh?" That's when he finally realized he was bound to the bed by cuffs on his wrists and ankles. "What the hell?" He struggled a bit, only to succeed in making him more uncomfortable.

"My, you sure are the noisy one." A female voice came from the chair.

"Eh? Who's there?"

"You don't need to know who I am, at least not yet."

"Kgh. Am I your prisoner? If so, I demand to know what I'm being held on!"

The girl laughed sadly. "What you are in this place is up to you."

"Oh, just what is that supposed to mean?" He rolled his eyes.

"I myself am nothing. I don't exist, and yet I do. I'm not a ghost or apparition, and I'm sure not an angel. I just… exist. You chose your own path here." Without another word, she stood up and walked out the door. All he saw of her was a glimpse of her long, flowing, red hair.

On a sunny day in Gibraltar, a carrier jet landed on a pad. The PA announcements were coming a mile a minute. "Division R Armory Unit, you're being transferred to the 3rd Paddock."

New blue GOUFs and ZnOs were unloaded in every different direction. "Robespierre and Geno Teams, hurry to the third deck for resupply."

A rare and ominous sight of EAF battleships and vessels of all sizes were coming up to the port. "Port control to all hands! The EAF naval vessels you see before you in formation with object 729 are designated as friendly. They've deserted from the East Asian Republic. Status blue! We are rescinding the alert. I will repeat…." What was the really unexpected sight was that of a tan-skinned man in an EAF uniform that looked unmistakably like Kisaka-san, Cagalli's former body guard in Desert Dawn. Now why was he there?

The weather changed for the worse as night fell. "Ray!" Durandal stood up to greet the saluting boy. At the same time, Mia's uneasiness brought her to Durandal's chambers. When she was about to round the corner, she saw them and quickly retreated behind the wall. Luck was on her side, because she noticed a photograph on the carpet in front of her. She knelt down to pick it up and gasped at what she saw.

In the Gibraltar mess hall, everyone was chatting about the upcoming battle. "But it's pretty impressive, that the Naturals have such a strong army." Youlan commented as he looked at some of the defectors. "Hey, check out that one. Ten bucks says she turns you down."

"Well it's not like Logos has anywhere left to run, considering they're stuffing themselves into Heaven's Base. By the way, you're on." Vino slapped his hand, sealing the deal. He went forward. "Hey, you mind if I join you? The name's…."

Meyrin watched on from her seat across from Luna. "It looks like this is going to be one hell of a battle, huh?" She cut her meat slowly.

"But this will be the last one, Meyrin." Lunamaria responded. "This time it all will. So hang in there a little longer, little sister. We still have to do our best."

"But I'm just back to doing my old job, while you've gotten Impulse. It feels like I'm standing still." She gripped her utensils tightly. "And with everything… with Adam…"

"Meyrin…." Luna became downcast as well.

"What?! I can't believe you!" The girl Vino was courting yelled as her plate broke on the floor. "Pervert!" She slapped him hard.

"Uh, hey wait… I didn't mean it like that! Come on… um… what's your name again?"

"Loser!"

The orange-haired Coordinator lay motionless in bed. The door to his room slid open, and the sound of soft heels walked over to the chair and sat down. "Nice fake, but I can tell you're not asleep." She turned a page in the book she took from the stand.

He opened an eye. "Well thanks. If you were trying to come in unnoticed, you may as well give it up. To my ears, you're noisier than a sumo on bubblewrap."

"Coordinator!" She hissed as she accidentally tore a page. She coughed for a moment and cleared her throat. "I apologize for that. I used to have a strong aversion to your kind that I'm still not completely over."

"Apparently not." Adam rolled his eyes and jingled his binds to emphasize the point. "Look, I don't really want much, but I need to at least see if Meyrin Hawke is all right. Is that agreeable?"

"Meyrin Hawke?"

"Yeah. She's very precious to me, and we were kind of caught in that battle you took me from."

She closed the book and put it back in place. "I see." She stood. "Well, I have a few resources I can use. I'll see what I can do."

"I suppose I should say thank you, but it's kind of hard to in my present situation."

"Indeed." She went to the door.

"Hey wait! Can't I at least put a name or face to the person doing me the favor?"

Her fist clenched tightly as she sighed. Quickly, she turned around and Adam's breath caught in his throat. The girl was quite a beauty, her long red hair brushing her back, not a blemish on her face other than some dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes captivated him the most, if only for the intense pain she showed in them. She wore a sad smile as she spoke again. "As I said, you don't need my name just yet, but here's the face."

Only after the door closed could Adam finally breathe again. "What… what was that? It was like she was pushed to the edge of insanity and was saved from it, only to be torn to shreds!"

The darkness of the night, and the heavy rain, consumed Gibraltar. Athrun's mood was reflected by the intense storm outside, as he let the lightning illuminate his room. _Kira squinted. "Is that really true? PLANT, is that really what they are doing? That Durandal-gichou is…."_ Athrun hissed as he bumped the back of his head against the wall.

"_But it's something we can't help, can we? They're no longer listening to reason, after all."_ Durandal's recent revelations were still fresh in his mind as he replayed the Dardanelles battle, Heine's death, and Shinn's revenge. _"That being so, we have to fight."_

"Kuso! Kira…." He leaned on the windowsill, suffering from his memories. A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts.

"Athrun? Athrun!" A female voice called to him. The door opened, and a gloved hand hit the light switch. Athrun squinted as his eyes adjusted. "I knew you'd be here!" Mia quickly shut and locked the door. "You really shouldn't act this way!"

"Eh?" He straightened as she ran up to him.

"That Shinn boy is already working on his new unit! You should hurry too!"

"Huh?"

"You never gave Gichou a clear answer back there either! If you don't soon, he'll get suspicious of you!" The bubblegum-haired fake grabbed his wrist and started pulling.

He slipped his arm out. "Suspicious, you say? Of what?"

"Of that you won't be of any use." She waved her hands in front of him in a panic. She pulled out the picture she found before. Where she kept it in that outfit is anyone's guess. "Here, this is…" Athrun took the photo and went completely rigid. It was the first photo Luna took of him, Cagalli, Kira, and Miriallia, when he met them in the ruins. "Gichou and Ray were talking about you."

"_I understand now. I had a feeling that Athrun wouldn't be of much use." Durandal put his teacup down._

"_His link towards their ship and Freedom was much stronger than we expected. He won't clearly state his intentions and actions to us anymore." Ray spoke without making eye contact._

"_He's a grand warrior, but he tends to think too much. In doing that, his great power dies."_

"_Eh."_

_Durandal turned towards the table, photographs of Athrun's secret meeting scattered across it. "Can I leave this to you? It needs to be cleaned up."_

"_Hai."_

"See? It's bad for you to act this way. It's too dangerous!" Mia finished off her story. "You have to show him that he was wrong really soon, or else the Chairman might…!"

Athrun's brow quivered. _"Therefore, being rid of them, the world will be one that everyone desires. War won't exist."_

"_However, what you can do, and what you want to do…." Durandal pushed off and floated towards the door. "Those are things only you know the best."_ It was the line that helped Athrun trust the Chairman.

"Kgh!" Athrun crushed the photo in his fists.

"Athrun." Mia cupped her hands over his tenderly.

A knock on the door startled both of them. "FAITH officer, Athrun Zala. We're from HQ. We have a serious matter to discuss."

The blue-haired teen lowered his head. "Now I get it. So that's how it works?"

"Eh?" Mia whispered back to him.

"That's just like Ray and Gichou, really." He smiled in the irony.

"Athrun Zala! Please open this door!"

The boy's eyes narrowed. "It's true that I won't be a puppet that will only fight his battles for him."

"EH?" Mia's eyes went wide as he walked over to his desk chair.

"Even if his words are given the tone of righteousness!" Athrun hurled the chair at the window, shattering the glass.

The MPs outside slammed against the door until one released his safety and shot out the lock. All three burst in, weapons armed, only to see a freaking Lacus in the corner. They rushed the window, piling into the rainy fire escape. "Find him quickly!" As the last one came out, the blue-haired blur jumped down and slammed him in the back of the neck.

Mia shuddered in panic as she heard the hits, one by one, as all three MPs were knocked out. Athrun had an automatic rifle in one hand as he stepped back onto the windowsill. He stuffed a sidearm into the back of his pants and held his hand towards the girl. "Quickly!"

He lifted her out the window. As they went down the metallic stairs with loud footsteps, they could only hope the rain would dampen the sound. She stopped on one of the lower steps. "Athrun!"

"Uh?" He turned towards her quickly.

"Athrun, why?"

"The Chairman can't stand people that are of no use in the roles he makes for them!"

"Eh?"

"A Lacus that the populous will listen to, and a mobile suit pilot to fight, like me! But even you can't keep this up forever, right?" Mia gaped at his words. "When that happens, he'll kill you too! So please come with me!"

"Wha?!" She squeaked. He continued to tug her down the stairs, but the rain-slick glove slipped out of his hand. She slammed her back against the building. "I… I'm Lacus!"

"Mia!"

"That's wrong!" She whipped her hand away. "I AM Lacus! I keep telling you! Lacus is who I've become!"

"But you…" Athrun whispered to himself.

"I don't care if I'm just a roleplay! As long as we do it right, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with living like that, is there? What's wrong with it?" Her raving tears streamed down her face, near indistinguishable from the rain.

Someone above opened the door and started clanking down. "Ngh… Mia!" He thrust his hand out towards her. She pulled back. "Come with me, please!" She looked into his eyes, completely motionless. "Egh!" Athrun closed his hand and ran down the stairs, realizing how futile the effort was. As he went out of sight, she went to her knees, breaking into torturous tears.

In the lobby, Meyrin overheard a group of MPs talking. "We still haven't found him yet?"

"We've sealed all the exits."

"Then we'll search every single room. We have to get this operation done in quick order. Make sure not to make a fuss. Get in and out quickly."

"Hai!" Meyrin and the nurse next to her shared a look.

Within a few minutes, the pigtailed girl was back in her room investigating her terminal. "Just what was that? What happened out there?" The door opened, and in spilled a rain-soaked Zala with a weapon on his arm. He locked the door before he saw her, not realizing the room was occupied. The girl gasped and shot out of her seat. "Athrun-sa…"

He quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. "Sorry." He whispered. "All I want is to leave! Please, I'm counting on you to stay quiet!"

Her mind registered what the MPs were doing, and her eyes went back between the door and him. She nodded, and he removed his hand. "They're after you? But why?"

"Ask Ray about that one later."

"Wha?"

Three knocks on the door make them both turn around in fear. "It's HQ! We're performing a mandatory room inspection. I must ask you to open the door!"

"I apologize for startling you." Athrun told her. "Do as you wish after I leave."

"Whae?!" She looked back and forth between him and the door. Her pigtails swayed as she shot out and grabbed his free wrist. "This way! Hide here!"

She turned on the water in the shower quickly after stuffing him into the corner. "Baka! This is useless!"

"Don't worry!" She responded. Her next movements completely shocked the older teen as she stripped down to her underwear in record time.

"Oi! What's going on in there?"

"Um, hai!" Meyrin called out, ripping her hairbands out. She soaked her hair with the showerhead and grabbed the nearest beach towel. As she put it on, she looked back at her friend, who now understood the tactic.

Lunamaria heard the commotion and went out. As she approached, one MP decided to bash the door in. As he completed the motion, the door opened up. "Gwaahh!" The men stepped back in surprise as a towel-clothed girl with soaked hair stood in the doorway, looking innocent and confused. They blinked in shock, but none turned away.

"Hold it, Meyrin!" Luna pushed her way to the front. "Why are you dressed so indecently?"

"O… Onee-chan! I was in the shower and then these guys kept going 'don don' on the door!"

Luna shot a look that could kill an elephant at an MP, and he recoiled like there was no tomorrow. She relaxed and turned back to her sister. "Whatever the reason, put some clothes on! God, this is embarrassing!" She turned to another officer. "What the hell is this all about in the first place? All this commotion is cutting into my beauty sleep!"

"Um… it's not really…" Meyrin closed the door as one tried to answer.

Athrun let out a heavy sigh as he put the gun back on safety. Meyrin stood at the door in shock. Her legs and countenance gave out, holding her chest and sobbing. Athrun emerged from the bathroom with a robe and draped it over her. "Arigato." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You saved me. But why?"

Her breath was short as continued to cry. "I don't know." She whispered. "After Adam… work was supposed… to cheer me up. I could forget… maybe. But it failed. I can't… can't deal…." Her voice trailed off.

"I have to go. I'm sorry I can't stay with you. Thank you." Athrun picked up his gun and turned to the window. Meyrin gripped his ankle firmly. "Woah! Uh?"

He looked back to her, and couldn't see her eyes. "Just this one. Just this one… Adam. The… the hangar!" She shook out of her tears. "Hang on a sec!" Finishing putting on her robe, she sat down at the terminal.

Soon the base was in an entire uproar of alarms. Meyrin raced to her drawers and threw on a new uniform as the rest of the crew looked up from their duties. "Kuso, the port, huh?"

"When did he escape?" Ray followed them, armed with his own weapon.

Meyrin beeped her horn twice, and Athrun dove into the passenger seat. She hit the throttle, skidding on the slick asphalt, cringing as she started to fishtail. Athrun hit the deck as she turned and passed two security vehicles at high speed. Unbenounced to her, Ray was in the truck and recognized her instantly. The car hit the brakes and stopped in front of a brand new ZGMF X-2000 GOUF. "Everyone is patrolling the port right now! Hurry and go!" Meyrin said over the pounding rain as they approached the boarding platform.

"Thank you. But if you…."

"Don't worry about me. Though I don't know what's going on, if you escape, it's fine. Athrun-san is meant to survive."

"But you'll be charged with treason!"

She looked to the asphalt. "I've been dead ever since I lost Adam. Nothing was ever the same. If I can just save you, then I'll die fulfilled."

Footsteps came fast from the side of the hangar. Ray came around the corner and leveled his weapon at them. "Egh!" Athrun grabbed her and dove off to the side.

"Ah!" She squeaked as they made it behind the maintenance terminals, Ray's first shot coming within centimeters of them. "Egh!" They both winced as they landed.

Ray stopped firing. "I see you can still dodge, coward!"

"Ray!" He snarled, sitting up.

"But it's all over now! Your job that is!" He resumed firing, trying to break down the computers.

Meyrin screamed as Athrun shielded her from the sparks and shrapnel. "Enough of this, Ray! You'll hit Meyrin!" He wouldn't let up, so Athrun stuck his gun between the terminal screens and fired blind. Ray jumped out of the way, behind the hangar door. "Kuso!"

Meyrin got a look at the pistol in the back of Athrun's pants in the brief interlude. Ray began to fire again once Athrun let up. Within an instant, Meyrin took hold of the sidearm, just before Athrun rolled out of the way, returning fire. The gun flew out of Ray's hands and skidded to the street behind him. "Kegh!" Ray rubbed his hand before turning to retrieve his lost weapon.

A bullet penetrated the ground in front of his shoe. "Ray!" He turned around to see Meyrin, pistol aimed between the computers directly at him. "I've killed one person with a gun already. I don't want you to be the second!"

The blond turned towards her fully and laughed. "Well well, this is a surprise, Meyrin Hawke! This is the last thing I expected! You do realize the punishment for something like this is death by firing squad, right? What is going through that pretty little head of yours?"

"Shut up!" Meyrin shook her head.

"You do realize she'll be interrogated for your actions, your precious sister that is! She might even be found guilty! Imagine, you and your sister against the wall. Ready, aim, fire!"

"Hah!" Meyrin froze, unintentionally living the nightmare.

"Ray, that's enough!" Athrun yelled.

"You can save her, Meyrin! You can save your dear Onee-chan and yourself! Meyrin Hawke, stop that traitor! Kill him at once!" He swung his finger towards Athrun.

"Ray, stop it! Quit messing with her head!"

Ray moved towards his weapon very slowly. "Lumi is waiting for you back at the barracks, Meyrin. Don't you want to see her again?"

Meyrin pointed her now unsteady gun-toting hand at the FAITH officer. "Athrun-san…"

He took a step back. "Meyrin… no… don't…."

"That's it, Mirei!" Ray took another step back. "End his life so that you can save the both of your own! Pull the trigger!" He hissed. "DO IT!" He broke into a run for his gun.

"Don't…." She whispered. "DON'T CALL ME MIREI!" She whipped around and targeted the weapon, firing three rounds. One skimmed across Ray's cheek, drawing a little blood. The bullets sent the gun skidding further away from him. Meyrin looked to Athrun and smiled slightly. "I could never kill you."

Athrun held out a hand to her, and she took it quickly. They hopped onto the boarding platform just as Ray retrieved his lost gun. As they were raised to cockpit level, Ray came back and took aim. He pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Ray reloaded and tried again. Still nothing. Athrun closed the cockpit behind them and started up the mobile suit. Ray tossed the rifle away, running out of the hangar as fast as he could.

"Sorry Meyrin, but I have no intention of letting you die because of me!" She nodded quickly. The GOUF's eye flashed to life as the docking clamps were released.

As it walked out, spread its wings, and took to the skies, Ray pulled out a phone from the '80's. "Shinn! Get Destiny and Legend prepped for launch! I'm on my way!"

"Eh? How come?" Shinn answered the other line at the Gundam hangar.

"Athrun has jacked a GOUF and is escaping! He's got Meyrin with him! We're pursuing!"

"Huh?!"

The elevator platform for Destiny and Legend began to rise. Before it reached its full height, Ray jumped down, diving for Legend's winch. In no time, he slammed his back into the chair and started his checklist. "Ray!" He watched as the OS booted up.

"You good?"

"But… Athrun… why would he…?"

"I don't have an answer for that. However he assaulted the guards, and took Meyrin Hawke with him." Legend's armor shimmered with Phase Shift as it stepped forward.

"Wha?!"

"Intelligence is Meyrin's specialty. She might leak vital information if captured. Our orders are to take them out!"

Destiny's eyes flashed green as the clamps released. "Eh?" Shinn gasped. "No way!"

"If we don't get going, they'll escape! Let's go!" Legend took off without another word.

"Egh!" Shinn pushed the throttle after a pause. Its blue and red phase shift was obscured by the darkness as it spread plasma wings to follow.

In the stormy seas, all ZAFT and allied EAF ships were alerted to the escapees presence with an alarm. On a smaller EAF boat, Kisaka-san observed the GOUF making a large water trail. Legend and Destiny flew overhead in hot pursuit, and he left the deck during the commotion. A clap of thunder almost obscured Athrun's proximity alarm. Almost. Legend broke formation and banked to the right. "I'll close in from the right. You're faster, so circle in front of them!"

"Ray!" Shinn began to sweat. "You're really…."

"Keep your guard up. The target in that GOUF is Athrun! You know his skills!"

"But then…!" Shinn looked up to his comm. panel.

"Stop hesitating, Shinn! These are our orders! We need to carry them out!"

"Kgh!" Shinn grit his teeth hard.

Legend pulled out its beam rifle and fired twice. Athrun dodged to one side as the beam hit the water just inches beside them. Meyrin squeaked as the cockpit shook. "Kuso! That's Ray's style!" Athrun continued to coast across the water listing left and right, keeping the shots from connecting. Over his left shoulder, Shinn came within range. Athrun rolled out of the way just before the shot rent the sea.

"Tch!" Shinn snarled, extending his rifle and firing rapidly.

"Shinn!" Athrun cried.

"Why did this have to come about? Why you of all people?!" Shinn's anger boiled over.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to escape without a fight, Athrun turned the GOUF on its back and fired its wrist gattling. Destiny pulled back and spread a reflector shield equipped on its hand. "Knock it off, Shinn! You don't have a clue as to what's happening here!"

"The hell was that?!" Shinn leaned forward and his suit dove for Athrun.

Athrun ascended quickly as more beam shots flew. Meyrin shut her eyes tight as she hung onto his chair. "Shinn!" He did an about face and tossed out the electro-whip. "Egh!" Its red-hot metal wrapped around the rifle and the charge raced through, overloading the weapon and blowing it up just a split second after Shinn released it. The explosion forced him back. "Listen, Shinn! I know that Gichou and Ray truly do sound like their way is the right one…."

"Athrun!" Ray fired his rifle between the two suits. They made a hole for Legend.

"But when the smoke clears, they'll be the ones that destroyed the earth!"

"Weh?" Shinn's face twitched in shock.

"That goes for you too!"

"As if that will fool us?!" Ray boomed over the lightning. "You've disgraced us, Athrun!" Legend pulled out a long beam saber from its hip casing and throttled towards the enemy. Athrun quickly prepared by removing and extending the Tempest sword from his shield. With the spiked shield, the Gouf blocked Legend's arm from finishing the swing. "He's trying to trick you, Shinn!" He pulled back a moment before Athrun took a swipe.

"Agh…Ray!" Shinn sat there, indecisive.

"Just what is it we've done all this for?" Ray's words brought images of Mayu and Stellar to the back of Shinn's eyes. "Are you going to let everything we've fought for be lost right here?!"

"Mgh…" Shinn pulled out a Flash Edge from his shoulder and hurled it.

Athrun tilted his suit to the side, the boomerang sliding just under the shield, impacting the ocean. The two occupants winced from the G-forces. "Shinn, knock it off!" Legend turned six of his backpack's spines forward, and each put forth a beam shot. Dodging once again, the GOUF returned fire with its gattling cannon. "If you're going to shoot me, then at least take Meyrin! She's got…."

"She's been guilty since she hacked the computers! Ever since she returned from Archangel, we've suspected her of being brainwashed! Her existence has no more meaning!" Ray pulled no punches.

"Huh?!" Shinn gasped.

Meyrin's eyes quivered in shock. "Ray!" Athrun snarled.

"My existence…?" Her whisper trembled. "Then go ahead and kill me!" Meyrin jumped in front of the camera. "But let Athrun go! My life in exchange…."

"No! Meyrin, I said I wasn't going to let you die!" He tried to push her back.

"Shinn, if Adam were here, what would he say about this?!"

"Urusai!" Shinn snarled. "He's been gone ever since Falcon blew up! Now you're trying to use him against me?!"

"You're wrong, Shinn! He was with me aboard the Archangel!" Meyrin screamed as the tears welled in her eyes. "He was on that ship when it was shot down! Minerva killed him!"

Shinn's head hit the back of his chair as his color palette inverted. "Adam was… alive?!"

"Have you become unstable, Meyrin?" Ray said as he took another shot. Athrun finally moved the girl out of the way and cranked his controls to one side. "He was KIA at Kurata."

"LIAR! The captain made a deal with Archangel to return us both, but they sank her anyway! You're the traitors here, not us!"

"No way… it can't be…." Shinn's hands twitched at his controls.

"Shinn! Look at what they've done here! They're blatant traitors! Our enemies! Shooting them down is our obligation!" Shinn's head moved left and right, arguing within himself with every turn.

"Shinn!" Athrun begged.

The pilot could take no more, he hung his head as his parents burned in his memories. "It's for the sake of bringing it all to an end!"

Stellar's death, the fight with Freedom, Adam's final message. It all flashed in his head. "KUSO!" Shinn screamed, his rage flowing freely with the release of his SEED. From Destiny's back, Shinn unfolded the anti-ship beam sword and activated it.

"Shinn!" Meyrin and Athrun both gasped.

The madness consumed the young pilot as he pointed the sword forward and unfurled his sparkling plasma wings. Shinn's voice was barely a whisper. "This is all your fault! Because of you… BECAUSE YOU'VE BECOME A TRAITOR TO US ALL!" He lifted the blade over his shoulder and thrust forward. "HHHAAAAAA!"

"Shinn, break off!" Athrun yelled as he turned his thrusters over the max limit, breaking away from his shield and sword battle with Ray as the giant blade sliced the air between them. Shinn slid to the side so fast that an afterimage was produced. He grabbed the electrowhip when Athrun threw it, and it blew up. "Ugh?!" The attack took Athrun off guard, seeing the beam cannon in Destiny's palm.

Shinn pulled back and raised the saber over his head. His speed was demonic, unzipping the sky with afterimages. Athrun couldn't counter, and his shield hand was removed. They tried to backpedal as fast as possible, but Shinn kept driving forward. "HEEAAAY!" Another slice and the gattling arm came off at the shoulder, leaving the GOUF completely defenseless. "That's why I won't… I won't ever again… be tricked by people like you!" He put the sword in front of him and his suit took a nose dive.

"SHINN!" It was Athrun's last plea.

"Hagh!" Meyrin choked on her breath.

"DEEYYYAAA!" The blade went straight through the left side of the torso and out the other side. Shinn let the sword go as the plasma storm lit up the sky. The silhouette of the pierced GOUF fell into the sea, where it exploded soon after.

Shinn panted heavily, as Ray looked on with zero emotion. Shinn closed his eyes and tried to return to normal, but all he saw was the stream of blood clouding the already dark water. His eyes snapped open, SEED gone, replaced with tears.

Far far away from the scene, a man in warm clothes, snow melting on his shoulders came into a lounge with a compter, where the girl with red hair was typing away. "Ma'am."

"What is it, Appolly? I'm busy researching that boy's girl."

"It's about that, ma'am. We've received a transmission from our operative in Gibraltar. Here's the contents." He handed her a disk.

After pulling it up on her screen, she gasped. "This is…!" She stood up and whirled around, staring the man in the face. "He must never get wind of this, understand? This information doesn't leave this room! Delete any backups and make sure the logs reflect it was never accessed!"

"But… doesn't he have the right to…"

"Don't talk to me about rights! If he finds out, his soul will be crushed! I can't let that happen!"

"But…."

"No objections! Don't you think I know what I'm talking about? I can't… let another go through that… the same hell as me!" A tear ran down her cheek, and then another, and another. She rushed out of the room.

"Meyrin? Meyrin did?" Lunamaria was in an interrogation room, being informed about the occurance. "No way… this can't…" Luna's hands were trembling as she held up the photos. "Meyrin was… Meyrin couldn't do… This is just another prank of hers, right?" She looked at the men with trembling eyes. "She's just gonna pop out here any moment and say 'I fooled ya!' ne?" The men looked away as her tears started to flow. "This isn't real! She couldn't have done that! That girl would never do… she wouldn't do something that stupid! " As Shinn and Ray returned to base, Mia picked up her head in shock at the news of Athrun's death. Gladys gritted her teeth as she stampeded Durandal's desk.

Adam sat up in his bed, eating the breakfast in his lap with a fork. On the other side of the door, a female hand pressed softly against it. She sighed quietly for a second and let a little smile appear on her face. Then she gasped and gritted her teeth. "Kuso!" She whispered as she slammed her forehead against the wall.

The bookcase inside jumped a little. "Hmm?" Adam blinked for a second before going back to his meal.

A tiny stream of blood trickled down her nose. "How can I even think of that, especially now? I'm such a pathetic existence!" She turned and walked away quickly.

Shinn and Ray walked the halls side by side. Shinn didn't really even know where he was heading. His feet were moving on their own, but so were a certain girl's as well in the opposite direction. Once seeing her, Shinn stopped, and Ray soon after. Luna let out a small gasp once she halted. The silent vacuum between them was extremely painful, the moment they never wanted to face coming all too soon. Shinn clutched his hand into a fist wand walked forward. They couldn't look each other in the eye, they couldn't do anything really. He just walked. As he took his first step past her, he whispered one word. "Gomen."

"Ah! Hah!" Luna went rigid and turned around. Shinn had only stopped a few steps away, feeling lower than dirt. It brought tears to Luna's eyes once again. Shinn thought what would come next would be some yelling, slaps, punches, and other such violent vents. Never did he think that she would grab his jacket and sob into his back. He turned around, trying to come up with some type of support for her. He clasped his hands around her thin arms, and the contact broke his control. He brought her into a tight embrace they both needed desperately. Her wails became too much, and Shinn began to whimper as well. Ray left without another word. He didn't need to be there for this, so he would leave them be. There was no record of how long they stood there, letting every anguish contained out, but when they did break, their tears had run out for the time being.

The red-haired girl played with the bandage on her forehead as she read about the planned crusade of ZAFT on EAF's Heaven's Base. "Things are picking up faster than expected. Has the prototype been completed yet?"

"Just finished, thanks to an old acquaintance of yours." The girl's second in command answered.

"Old acquaintance?" She echoed.

"I believe he's referring to me." A teen with curly red hair waltzed into the room, hopping over a sofa and sitting cross-legged in it in one motion. "Yo."

The girl's sad smile returned. "It's good to see you again, Alan Sherridan."

"Anything for my best customer. Hey, you got any hot cocoa? I'm just dying for some right now!"

Hundreds of missiles and projectile weaponry launched from Heaven's Base and its battleships in a surprise offensive. The brutal attacks turned the frontal force into fireballs in the sea.

From his seat on Minerva, Arthur's jaw hit the floor. "EH?!"

"Kah!" Talia gasped as Durandal let a small smirk appear on his face.

"Mobile Armor squads, Mobile Suit squads, hashin!" The EAF radios blared. As all mobile suit hatches opened at the base. "Second and Third divisions, launch!" Windams, flight Daggers, and new Euclid armors took to the air. Not only that, but a newer Forbidden Blue squad shot out of the underwater hatches.

ZAFT submarines surfaced, sending a payload of missiles into the coastline. A Forbidden fired its missiles into a helpless GhOON while another stabbed an MA-transformed ASH in the main camera with its trident. A ZnO fired its Maser Cannons into the enemy in reciprocation. Coasting above the waterline, a Euclid took a Tristan blast head on, totaling it.

In the pilot's lounge on Minerva, Shinn brought Luna into a tight hug. They sobbed into each others' shoulders. She pressed her nose into his hair, and put her arms around him as well. 'This war will end!'

The thrusters in the saucer section of an all too familiar radar shadow lifted off. Hell's Gate had reopened, and in this time, from five different places. "ALL RIGHT!" Sting yelled as he activated the twin double barrel cannons over Destroy's shoulders. The four other units took his lead and also launched their massive beam weaponry at the enemy, disintegrating any vessel in the way.

Adam stood in front of the TV, biting his thumb as he saw the battle. His host stood next to him. "I told you before that you choose your own path in this place. I may have to ask you to make your choice soon. The reason I'm showing this to you is because it may help guide you to the path you want to go."

"I see." The girl sat down next to him. "So, which are you?"

"Hmm?"

"Your side, which are you on?"

"I have none. I just want peace, whichever way it may come. I'm one who has been through the hell of war from the start. One who has been given scars, and scarred others because of it. One who shouldn't exist, but lives on as punishment for her deeds. One that wishes no more suffering upon anyone anymore." She met his eyes in sorrow, as she let her defenses fall away. Two tears ran down her soft cheeks.

The boy could swear his heart had stopped for a moment. Every word she said, she had meant. The eyes he stared into weren't the norm. They now held the true pain of the beating her psyche had taken. When he found his voice again, he spoke. "What… who are you?"

"My name is of one assumed dead. By all rights I should be, but I live on in my temperance. So you know the truth, I'll say it." She held her arm to her chest as she looked away. "My name is… my name is…" She sobbed weakly. "Fllay Alster."

All three of Minerva's ace pilots launched, their cockpits shaking all the way. Shinn gripped his controls tight. 'This time, I'll really….' Destiny fired at a rapid pace, taking out the assaulting Windams by piercing their cockpits one by one. The buster cannon on Shinn's back released its locks and he put it into his hands, firing the red and blue beam straight through another.

Luna's rifle discharged. Her Impulse danced around the beams of her opponents as she took shots into them. Legend barrel rolled in the sky, dodging the four opponents on his tail. Doing a backflip, he came within striking distance, taking out three Windams and a Full Spec Raider with his backpack's spines.

Sting's giant can opener turned into its mobile suit form, firing its hand beams into the sky, dashing apart mobile suits in horrid ways. Sting laughed on an open channel as Shinn gritted his teeth, remembering Stellar. Shinn spread his beam shields as the midoric energy turned towards him. His mind became clear as his eyes turned to the pure red of his berserker self. With the flip of a switch he whipped out the anti-ship sword on his back. Pointing it forward, the wings spread to their fullest extent. Swinging the sword over his shoulder, Shinn dove forward, unzipping the sky with his monstrous speed. Stings Destroy fired its chest cannons, followed by the hand beams. Destiny dodged horizontally with expert precision. With one swing, nearly half of the saucer section was removed, including one arm. 'I won't allow it….' He closed in fron the opposite side, charging his palm cannon and clamping it onto Destroy's forehead, sending its ugly face to oblivion. 'Anyone who attacks us will die!'

_When Luna and Shinn separated, their eyes met. Something took over in both their minds at that moment, as if guided by some unseen source. They drew each others' bodies closer, and their lips touched. It was held for a long time, as they held each other tighter._

Propelling forward with his momentum at the tip, Destiny's blade plunged into the cockpit, crushing Sting against the back wall. Shinn hit the throttle and tore the blade straight up the mobile suit. The fortress exploded as it collapsed, shutting that gate to hell permanently.

Pulling an Excalibur from over Impulse's shoulder, Lunamaria threw it at Legend, which quickly grabbed and activated it. From over both shoulders, Luna pulled out her Flash Edges and let them fly. Legend came up from below and sliced off one of the cannon barrels on the targeted Destroy as both boomerangs cut into the saucer armor. Impulse came down for the final cut with the second Exaclibur. The devil's advocate was sent to the ground, and within moments it was enveloped in flames and sent to the hell it belonged.

'This time, absolutely…' Shinn's speed was nearly supersonic as the afterimages flowed from Destiny. None of the energy weapons fired could even touch him now. He saw his opening and sliced his sword straight down, actually cutting the mobile fortress in half.

"Uah!" Adam gasped as he continued watching.

"Just what the hell happened?!" Djibril turned tail and ran, boarding a submarine with his cat and took off as fast as possible.

Shinn dodged a hand beam shot and took a diagonal cut upwards into the final Destroy. While still recovering from the backlash, Legend made a second cut in the same fashion the opposite way. The final attack was Luna's as she came down from above, making a straight slice. With the last massive explosion, the demon was vanquished, and the fighting ceased. 'I will protect everything!'

Fllay dried her eyes as she stood. "Well, looks like that settles it. ZAFT will probably get our resources after all." She moved to the door.

"You may want to put that on hold." Adam stared at the screen with clenched teeth, his knuckles white on his fist.

"Hmm?"

"It's impossible. Something's up. Something is up and it doesn't feel right!" He started pacing. "To take down that base is a feat in and of itself, but to break through five Destroys? It's too much!" Adam walked to the door with a worried look on his face. When his shoulder passed the girl's, he stopped. "I'm going back to my room and soak all this up, but I've got a bad gut feeling. Please don't make any alliances yet, Fllay."

Hearing her name, she flinched as he walked away. She stared at his back. "'Who are you,' eh? I should be asking you that, Adam Cancho. Because you're the same as me." She whispered before she went on her way.

On one of the smaller islands of ORB, the wounded Archangel backed into the underwater base. In its sickbay, the twins on watch gasped as their best friend struggled to wake. "Athrun." Kira attempted to help him concentrate. "Athrun!"

The blue-haired teen's eyes focused on someone he never thought he's see again. "Kira…?" He whispered in pain, his eyes filling with tears at the sight. Remembering when Impulse stabbed Freedom, Athrun shot up, trying to sit upright.

As he cringed, Kira pushed him back onto the bed and covered him up again. "Oh no you don't. You're not allowed to move."

"You're… dead…"

"Don't worry, Athrun. You're not dead either." Kira smiled.

For the first time, he saw the golden-haired girl over Kira's shoulder, and she gave a reassuring smile as she fought back tears of her own. Relieved, he passed out again.

"Damn it." Adam paced in his room. "It took the cooperation of me, Shinn, and Sheridan to make even a dent in one of those Destroys!" He grunted as he flopped onto the bed. "But now…" His mind's eye brought him flashes of the new models. "Just what kind of power do those things have that can take out five of them so easily?" On the other side of the door, a soft hand pressed silently against it. 'Everything was just about to fall into place. The world Gichou said he would make in Diocuia was the reason behind the fighting. Meaning…' He shook the thought out of his head. 'No. This world still can go on. They still have the time. I'm sure of it!' "Kira!"

"Hah!" Fllay gasped at the other end of the door.

As the military searched the wreckage of Heaven's Base, Shinn got some bad news in the lounge. "Eh? Djibril wasn't found?"

"He wasn't… no way!" Luna was also in disbelief.

"The current theory is that he escaped alone before the base surrendered." Ray informed the both of them.

"Eh?!" Shinn squeezed the life out of his coffee can.

On the hidden Eternal docked with the factory asteroid, Lacus blinked. "What is this?"

"Hmm?" Waltfeld mused as DaCosta pointed at a notebook with the words "DESTINY PLAN" written in bright red ink. "Destiny Plan?"

"Ah! This might be it!" Lacus gasped.

The tension in the room reached its highest level as an alert came up. "What the hell?" Its camera came up on the main screen.

"A long range reconnaissance GINN?" DaCosta gasped as the gray suit with gold trim shot out the surveillance camera.

"Kira-kun! Get up to the bridge right away!" The PA system echoed Murrue's voice through the entire ship as he did maintenance on Rouge's OS. "Eternal is on the run! According to Terminal's transmission, ZAFT's found them!"

As the access elevator lowered from the Gundam, Kira jumped over the rail and hit the ground running. "Lacus!"

Athrun gasped, forcing himself to sit up against the extreme pain. "Eternal?! That can't be…"

As the ship pushed forward, the rock surrounding it began to shake off. Her pink flagship went to full burn.

Meyrin watched the door slide open in front of her. She had known exactly what she was going to when she had gotten permission to move around: see Athrun. She didn't expect that he'd be forcing himself to sit up, and failing, grunting and sweating in pain. "Athrun-san!" She went over to him as fast as her portable IV would allow.

Neo sat up on the other side. "Oi oi, what are you trying to do?"

"Bridge…" He gasped.

One look in his eyes and she understood. "The comm. terminal!"

'Please… make it in time….' Athrun grunted as Neo punched in the access code to the bridge. "Get going, Kira!"

"Eh?" He blinked, Ramius and Cagalli next to him.

Athrun gripped his chest, his lungs burning in pain. "She needs to be protected, Lacus! If she dies, it's the end for us!"

Kira broke away from the monitor, rushing past a gaping Cagalli, opening his eyes and heading for the lift door. "Arigato, Athrun!"

In space, the Eternal rolled hard to avoid the blasts from the assault upon it. GOUFs and Gunner ZAKU poured forth their energy weapons as ZAKU Phantoms foxed all their missiles at the battleship. The CIWS cannons shot into the vacuum in desperation to protect the flagship as a Gunner hurled a grenade canister at the bridge, exploding just above the ship, the shockwave and light making the bridge crew cringe.

Powerful booster engines roared to life. "Ikkimas!" Kira yelled over the noise and released the breaks. The long tunnel got shorter very quickly, and Strike Rouge's Phase Shift shimmered into the original colors of Kira's first MS. Like a bat out of hell, the mobile suit/rocket combo took to the skies, leaving a massive smoke trail in its wake.

The catapult hatch on Eternal opened, and a single red and yellow mobile suit shot out into the maelstrom. "Eeehhh!" Andy grunted as he got a bead on an MS. With a quick blaster shot, one was down. A Nazca-class below fired its beam cannons and he slid between them. "Kgh!"

Another Wizard-equipped ZAKU came within firing range. "Missiles incoming!"

"Dodge them!" DaCosta was sweating in his commander's seat. "Fire interceptors!" Their anti-missile system sent a cloud into the dust to avoid damages.

"Engh." Kira dripped with sweat as the superheated Strike reached the exosphere.

A Phantom came within range to fire its beam rifle, taking out a CIWS near the bridge. "Agh!" Lacus held on tight as the ship shifted under her.

A GOUF in range stretched out its whip and the end wrapped around Gaia II's blaster. After a quick and futile effort by Andy to pull it free, the rifle overloaded, pushing him backwards behind his shield. "Guakh!" A Gunner clipped Eternal's starboard with an akashic blast. An alarm went off on Waltfeld's blind side. "What now?!" A red, blue, and white suit fired three rifle blasts into the surrounding ZAFT suits, clearing a path. "Strike?!"

The booster jettisoned and the Aile's engines returned to their original position. Whipping around, Kira fired through the Gunner's buster, ensuring it would never fire again. "Eh?" DaCosta looked up.

A GOUF and a ZAKU were next to be disabled. "Lacus! Waltfeld-san!"

"Kira!"

"You…!" Andy couldn't get much else out.

"Sorry, but worry took me over!" Kira shrugged.

A Gunner came from below, leveling the cannon at the underbelly of the ship. Strike shoved its shield in front of the energy. The overwhelming energy detonated it, taking the left arm with it. Another rifle shot took off the other arm, sending Kira's weapon flying straight into Gaia's hands, which discharged it directly into the Gunner that damaged him. "Moron! If you're going to fight, board Eternal!"

"Eh?"

He smirked. "Get your new unit and get yourself back out here!"

"Hai!"

"Ah…." Realizing the situation, his girlfriend pushed off towards the elevator with a grim look on her face.

Back in the Archangel, Cagalli bit the bullet and took a somber visit to Athrun. "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" She lowered her head in shame.

"I think I should be the one apologizing here."

"But… I…" She couldn't get the rest out.

His emerald eyes gazed upon the ring on her finger. "You were trying to protect it, right? ORB I mean." It left her without a response. "I was just too hasty from the onset."

"Eh?"

"I wanted to do something. Stopping it by any means was my only option… this damn war."

"Even then… it's so difficult, right?" She grit her teeth. "We all want to stop this. But why won't it end?" Biting her lip, she continued. "It just can't be helped, really."

Athrun looked through the ceiling, seeing the friends of his recent past. "No, that's not it at all. I'm sure of it!" He balled his fist.

"Emergency docking system, active!" DaCosta said as the lower hatch opened wide. A stray blast destroyed both of Strike's legs on approach. Two magnetic grapples latched onto the torso and reeled it in at top speed.

Kira bailed from the Strike, diving for the airlock. "Lacus!" After repressurizing, he ripped off his helmet and dove into the corridor, a smile on his face.

The princess of pink dove in from the opposite end. "Kira!" The relief and joy all over her face.

"Lux!" They joined in a tight embrace and sighed as they swirled in the zero-g environment. "Thank God I made it!"

"Kira." They spent an eternity staring into each others' eyes.

Outside, the Eternal pulled up hard to avoid a Nazca's assault, its second round clipping the portside aft.

The ship shook. "Lacus!" Kira shielded her from impacting the wall headfirst. "We can't dawdle anymore."

"Hai." She nodded.

The hangar door admitted both, Kira gasping at what awaited him. It was a mobile suit with the form of the one he lost. Though gray, it stood almost majestically in front of them. Lacus looked down in regret. "Arigato." He gave her a reassuring smile. "With this, I can fight my fight once again."

"Kira." She whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

He took her hands in his. "Wait for me, and I will return as fast as I can. Then we'll return to where everyone is."

"Hai." She nodded, fighting back her sobs.

The GUNDAM Complex bootup screen ran under Kira's eyes as he reprogrammed it as fast as possible. The Eternal's catapult hatch opened as the lead lanes extended. "X-20A, Strike Freedom, hashin dozo." Lacus called from the control room.

The checklist signaled all clear. "Kira Yamato, Freedom, ikkimas!" In a shower of sparks, the catapult shot him into space. Strike Freedom spun twice as Phase Shift covered the machine. Unlike the original, this Freedom held two beam rifles, and an additional core cannon underneath the cockpit. Its thrusters' output was maximized, adding extra verniers to the legs, and the main joints were covered in gold.

Two ZAKU Phantoms fired their rifles, while a third foxed its missile batteries. Freedom put its wrist out front and spread a hidden positron reflector, rendering the beam useless. Sliding to the side, his expert marksmanship intercepted the missiles before they entered Eternal's range. Sliding between two blasts, his hand went to his hip and decapitated two in one swipe. A GOUF reversed while firing its gattling cannon. Cutting underneath the peppering of energy, Kira removed its arm. The enemies began to swarm him, and as Kira reversed, he fired on opposite sides twice, hitting an enemy each time. One GOUF within range wrapped its whip around the GUNDAM's right leg, while a second snatched its left arm. "Tcgh." Kira glared at them and spread his wings wide. All eight of the blue halves launched, and before electricity could be pumped through the whips, the tips got a bearing and fired beams into the enemy mobile suits.

"GWAH!" The pilots cried as their arms were severed.

"That's a…." DRAGOON System. The demonic trick that nearly destroyed him in the last war was now being used to his advantage.

The HiMat targeting console popped up in front of Kira, painting the targets. All of Freedom's weapons fired, a total of thirteen, simultaneously. Each beam connected with at least one suit in the sky.

All three of the Nazca class bore down on him at once, firing everything in their arsenals as fast as they could reload. Kira dove through the danger and unloaded his railguns into one of their engines. Pulling back, his DRAGOONS shone as bright as his plasma wings. A flash of lightning ran behind his eyes. "ATARE!" The pods dashed around, sliding left and right, hitting the weapons and engines with precision, assuring they wouldn't give chase as Eternal retreated. The lovers smiled at each other as Freedom matched them in escort formation.

Fllay admitted herself into Adam's quarters and sat down. "Uh?" He blinked as he noticed her hairstyle had changed, back to the way she wore it on the Archangel.

She bit her lip. "How much do you know about me?"

He stared at her for a few seconds, trying to read her. "Are you sure you want me to answer that, Fllay?" She winced at her name. "See?"

"It hurts, but I have to bear it. That's what it means to pay penance. So please…."

Adam sighed, looking away before starting anew. "You're Fllay Alster, daughter of Prime Minister of the Atlantic Federation in the year C.E. 70. He was killed when the battleship he was on was sunk by ZAFT Gundams. From what Miriallia-san said, you were very close to Kira, and that you were killed sometime near the end of the war. There's a memorial with your name on it inside Archangel."

"Miriallia Haww… that's just like her, isn't it?" She gripped her chest tightly. "I was never the same after that…. I was… I was very selfish. The world was out to get me, and I needed a shield. I found one… in Kira." She remembered the day she thought he had been shot down, and the helplessness she felt. "I guess you could say it happened at JOSH-A, when ZAFT's Rau le Cruset captured me. Powerless, hopeless, broken… it's exactly the person he needed to deliver what he told me was the key to ending the war to the Earth Forces. Instead, I gave the key to genocide to Murata Azrael himself." Her voice dripped with poison at the name.

"Azrael… the leader of Blue Cosmos?" She nodded as he thought back to the Lodonia Lab. She clutched her chest as sweat dripped down her nose. "You're in agony aren't you? We should stop."

"Please don't. This is just another hurdle I need to get past. Please, let me do this, Adam." She gripped his hand. "I can't do it without you."

"Fllay…."

She closed her eyes, thinking back. "The final battle of the war was at Jackin Due, and it had been thrown into madness. Suddenly I found myself staring at the barrel of Azrael's gun as he threatened my friend and commander Natarle Badgiruel, ordering her to fire on Archangel." She pressed her hand to her head. "It was more than I could take, so for once I thought of someone other than myself and warned them away. Azrael nearly killed me in that moment if it weren't for Natarle, pinning him and ordering us to abandon ship."

"_Appolly!" She called to the FCS officer as he headed for the door. "Take care of her." She motioned to Fllay as she body tackled Azrael. "Get moving! Head for Archangel!" The door sealed in front of the girl._

"That was the last I would ever see of that great woman."

"That kind of chaos when you were what, 15?" Adam spoke over her wheezing. "Fllay?" The teen hunched over her chair, her eyes wide. "Shit, you're hyperventilating!" He ripped the pillow out of the pillowcase and put the makeshift bag over her mouth and nose, bracing himself against her. "I've got you. Just breathe as deep as you can." Her panting slowed, and he lowered her into the chair again. "That's it, you're done."

"NO!" She blurted out. "I'm… nearly done! If I don't say it, I'll never have the strength to again. You have to let me!" Before he could retort she started again.

_The shortest route to the escape pods passed the windows. A gray mobile suit with multiple spines on its back slid past the plexiglass. Fllay covered her head and shrieked. "He's after me! That monster will… Cruset!" The girl shuddered as tears ran down her cheeks._

"_You can tell me all about it when we're on the pod, Fllay." Appolly grabbed her wrist. "We need to go, now!"_

"_I'm too scared."_

"_I'm pissing my pants over here, you know! You have to trust that I'll get you to safety!"_

"We had made it to the hangar with few problems, only to find that our pod had a faulty life support system. Fortunately for us, Azrael's personal shuttle was sitting there too, with a little trick called Mirage Colloid equipped. I was being less than cooperative."

"_No… I… I can't go outside! He's out there! He's after me! NO! He wants to kill me!"_

"_Fllay Alster, pull yourself together!"_

"_I won't go! I won't go! He'll kill me!"_

_Appolly went silent before grabbing Fllay's shoulders. "Alster, look at me!" She halted in her tracks, looking him in the eye. "The Captian ordered me to take care of you, and I'm going to do just that. I have a plan, but you need to trust me! Can you do that?"_

_She wiped her eyes and nodded. "Unh."_

"He rigged the faulty escape pod to fly in tandem with the shuttle, while we had the Mirage Colloid to hide us." She paused to pour herself a glass of water and gulped it down.

Adam looked away, his brow quivering. "Masochist."

"Adam, please don't."

"You're killing yourself! How can I not object?! Why are you…?"

"BECAUSE I USED HIM!" The glass shattered in her hands. They both fell silent as blood dripped off of the glass that marred her soft palms. "I slept with Kira and used him as my shield! I gave up my virginity in an act of manipulation just to survive! And when I realized it… and realized that I really… I was too late!" When she looked up he was in her face, staring into her eyes. "A-Adam…."

"You really are a masochist. We need to get you to medical."

"Adam… that look was… what was that?"

"I misjudged you." He looked away as he helped her up. "I'm sorry."

When they returned, the glass had been removed by the maids. "The words are coming easier thanks to you, Adam." She took a breath and started anew. "The decoy was successful. We flew out without getting targeted."

"_The Dominion's Lohengrin is powering up!" The second com officer yelled._

"_Archangel!" Fllay cried as the red and blue positron cannon lit up the darkness. A lone mobile suit took the attack full on, shielding the ship in exchange for the pilot's life. Archangel's Lohengrin returned fire, vaporizing the Dominion's bridge. "Captain Badgiruel!" The girl barely managed to squeak._

_The Dominion went critical and exploded. The navi gritted his teeth. "Everyone hang on! This is gonna be rough!" The shockwave hit both ships, sending them careening away from the battlefield and the Archangel._

"_Is everyone still breathing?" Appolly asked as everything stabilized, hearing groans in return. "Status?"_

"_Maneuvering thrusters – shot. And we're way off course. We'll either fly into something or someone finds us. But the decoy is still on our starboard at least."_

"_Radar contacts! Two mobile suits ahead, distance 2000! We're on intercept!"_

"_Can we stop the ship?!" Appolly's eyes widened._

"_Even with the engine off, we'll still drift."_

"_Do it! We can only hope they'll move away. What kind of mobile suits are we talking about here?"_

"_Unknown. I've got a ZAFT IFF on one, but I don't recognize the radar shadow. The other is… is…."_

"_KIRA!" Fllay squealed as she saw Freedom dodging attacks from the window. She raced to the comm. "Kira!"_

"_Fllay?" The radio responded._

"_Tch, you again?" Cruset's voice sent chills down her spine. She wanted to scream, but the voice died in her throat."_

"_Damn it, Fllay! That was an open channel!" He took her back to her seat quickly._

_Looking out the window, she saw Freedom's opponent for the first time, Providence. "No! He's going to… NO! Kira!" She shrieked._

_True to her words, Providence leveled its rifle at them. Freedom rushed as fast as possible towards the shuttle with its hand outstretched as the beam fired from the rifle's barrel. "The target isn't the decoy! It's US!"_

_Everything moved in slow motion. Inch by inch, Freedom moved until it brought its shield to block and deflect the energy from both seen and unseen ships. Fllay pressed against the glass as she looked up at him. "Kira."_

_The boy had looked into the regular shuttle's window, seeing her reflection. He smiled, knowing the girl he loved was safe. One of Providence's DRAGOONs slid above them and fired straight through the small ship. "Fllay!" The ship exploded, and rocked the hidden shuttle hard, jarring both Appolly and Fllay out of their seats. The last thing Kira saw of her was her lifeless expression from the window before it tore apart._

"_EGH! Get engines to full! Ride this wave out of here!" Appolly ordered._

"_FLLAAAAAAAYYY!" Kira cried, just before the radio died._

"It was the last I heard from Kira." Fllay's shoulders twitched with each sob. "But it's forever etched in my mind. His most important person died in front of him… and it was me. Even after everything I did to him, he still loved me. I never… got the… chance…." The girl fell forward onto the carpet.

"Fllay! My god, Fllay!" He shook her, but she didn't respond.

It was nighttime in Gibraltar. Hardly anyone stirred, except for one black haired boy. Shinn's dream was physically being manifested by his twitching as he sweated profusely. "HEEEAAAAHHH!" His dream self yelled his battlecry as his Destiny fired into the mass of evil mobile suits. A Destroy transformed into its mobile suit mode below him. "Those people… the ones who do such evil… LOGOS!" His mobile suit slid away from the weapons it fired as he closed in. "IT'S UNFORGIVEABLE!" Destiny melted around him, and when all the liquid had flown off, he found himself in Impulse, swiping into a Destroy's cockpit.

"NO!" Stellar shrieked. Shinn gasped when he heard her voice.

Freedom swooped down from above, drawing its beam saber. "Kuso! Stop this already!" Kira yelled at her.

Shinn swept his saber twice at the mobile suit. "Back off! You have no clue what's going on! In that suit…in that suit!" Shinn plunged his Excalibur into Freedom's torso.

"Shinn!" Athrun cried with his last breath. The boy looked again and he was back in Destiny, with the pierced Gouf falling down into the sea.

"Ath…run. Mey…rin."

"Shinn, if Adam were here, what would he want you to do?" The girl's bloodied face came to his eyes.

"Leave him out of this!" Shinn snarled. "He's been gone ever since Falcon blew up, and now you're using him as an excuse?"

"Gomen ne…" Adam's voice echoed as Falcon exploded in front of him blowing him back.

"You're wrong, Shinn! He was with me! He was aboard the Archangel! He saved me! He was on that ship when it was shot down! The Minerva killed him!"

"Get out of the line of fire or else I'll shoot you too!" Adam was pointing his rifle at Ray behind him.

"Shinn!" Athrun begged. "Look at yourself! They're turning you into a puppet! They're only using you!"

"Shinn! Dullindal's been lying to us from the beginning! He's been fooling us from the start of the war, maybe even from before! I know Adam wouldn't want this to happen! Please, please listen!" Meyrin looked into his eyes.

"Shinn!"

"SHINN!"

"SHINN!"

"Shinn, Shinn!" Ray shook him and the boy's eyes snapped open.

He practically jumped into a sitting position, panting heavily. "Ray."

"You were having a nightmare. Are you okay now?"

"Ah… unh." The Destiny's pilot gripped his forehead. A towel flopped onto Shinn's head and a bottle of water was handed to him. "Arigato." He wiped himself down and took a drink. It took a while before he could speak again. "Athrun and Meyrin… I…"

"It couldn't be helped, Shinn."

"Uh?!" He whipped his head up to look him in the eye.

"They betrayed us." Ray looked somewhere in the far wall.

"I know that! Really, I do understand! It's just that…." His voice trailed into nothingness.

"So that's what your nightmare was about?" Shinn was surprised that he figured it out as he watched him get in his own bed. "I suppose I should have been the one to take the shot." Shinn twitched. "You're too soft at times. It makes you weak. You won't be able to protect even a fly like that." Ray turned away and went to sleep, leaving Shinn's retort hanging, a pain in his forehead reminding him of the fight he had with Adam.

Adam spilled out of the chair, landing flat on his face. As he pushed himself up, he raised his head. His eyes were glazed over, exhibiting massive shock. Tears started to flow from his eyes as he reached out with one hand. His mouth moved. "…u-sa…. K…n..." He collapsed, his hand still outstretched as he fell asleep once again, the young woman in the bed above him none the wiser.

Meyrin twitched in sobs as she curled up in the fetal position under her covers. "Adam." Another one of the many nights she cried herself to sleep was once again beginning.

The next morning, the redhead that survived the first war opened her eyes slowly. "Where?" She rolled over quietly. "HAH?!" She jumped out as she saw Adam lying on the floor in the same position he had fallen asleep in. "Adam wake up! ADAM!"

He flopped over onto his back. "Wasn't that stuff limestone?" He opened his eyes and they came back to life after a couple of blinks. "HUH?!" The citrus-haired boy sat up like he was on a bed of nails. "Fllay? Itte te te…." He winced.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "You had me worried there. What happened?"

"I don't know." He winced as he flexed his sore muscles. "Last thing I remember was waiting for you to wake up after you passed out."

"So that's what happened…." She looked away. "You stayed with me the whole night." Fllay blushed, before forcing it back. "When I woke, you were trying to reach for something that wasn't there. It really freaked me out."

"Really? Wonder why." Adam hissed as he stood. "Man, now I'm all stiff." He put a hand out to her and she took it, standing as well. "But still, I didn't think you'd pass out after finishing your story. What a wuss!"

"Hey! Take that back! I don't think I've ever met such a vulgar Coordinator in my life! That was very hard… on me… you… know…." Adam was still smiling, and when she saw it, she couldn't help but do the same. It eventually progressed into a full-fledged hearty laugh. "Thank you, Adam. It was because of you that I don't feel as hurt anymore. Thank you for letting me relieve that stress."

"You know what else relieves stress? Breakfast. I dunno about you, but I'm dying for some."

"Then let's go." She quickly kissed him on the cheek, leaving him stunned. "I'll get the cooks to make Eggs Benedict with Lox this morning."

A formal assembly was being held in the Gibraltar head office, as Shinn stood in front of the base commander. "In recognition for his services at the Battle for Heaven's Base, I bestow upon Shinn Asuka the Nebula Medal." Everyone in the office applauded as Shinn saluted the commander. "Congratulations. I believe this is your second one, right? You should be very proud." He offered his hand.

"Arigato gozaimasu." Shinn took the extended hand and shook it.

At that point it was Durandal's turn, as he took two small boxes from the hands of his assistant. "Also, I have something for Shinn Asuka and Ray za Burrel." Shinn turned towards the taller man as Ray stepped forward and lined up beside him.

They looked down inside the boxes only to see the white wing and golden eye that symbolized FAITH. "Gichou!" Shinn gasped in surprise as Durandal just smiled. He looked to his roommate for help, but he only smiled back.

"I give these to you as a reminder that we rely on both your strength." Durandal said with a small grin. Talia narrowed her eyes to near slits as she watched the proceedings. "Never betray this moment, and show us your power to its fullest extent."

"I'm honored sir." Ray finally spoke. "My best is what I shall give to you."

"I will also strive to my maximum potential, sir!" They took the pins as applause surrounded them.

"Well then… this concludes…." Durandal spoke up when the applause died down.

"Um…!" Shinn interrupted, removing the medal from his chest and balling his fist. "Gichou, as a member of FAITH, could I ask a favor?"

Durandal raised his eyebrow. "Well… I don't mind. What is it, Shinn?"

"I wish to bestow this medal given to me upon someone else more deserving."

The entire room started whispering. Ray turned to him and hissed. "Shinn! That's a sign of disrespect!"

"Wait, just hear me out." Shinn backed up a step. "Chairman, I have been given two decorations for excellence in combat. The other pilots beside me have gotten one each. But there was one of us that was never recognized for his valor." He looked to the floor at his left.

"Uh!" Luna gasped, pressing her hand to her heart. Ray's angry face went blank again, as Talia and Arthur looked on in surprise.

Durandal smiled, knowing full well of what he was talking about. "And? Who might this person be?"

"The person who fought to save innocent lives. The one who defended the Minerva alongside me without question. The Guardian of Gulnahan." Shinn pulled his head up and stared into the chairman's eyes. "Pilot Adam Cancho of the Falcon!"

"And? Why should he be deserving of such an award?"

"I don't pretend to believe that I alone won the battles I've fought. Half of my success is due to Adam. He was my partner, my friend." Shinn gritted his teeth, fighting back tears. "He put his life on the line at Gulnahan to keep thousands of innocent lives from being destroyed, and he even attacked his home country's military forces without mercy for the sake of the Minerva. Gichou, if truth be told, I'd give all my medals to him. So please, Durandal-gichou, I beg you…." He bowed.

"Shinn… that is a… difficult request. It puts me in a tight spot as well, as the Chairman can't so easily go back on his words."

Ray stepped forward and stiffened. "I second the motion!"

"Uh?" Shinn looked up at him.

"I third it."

"Luna?!"

"What Shinn says is the truth, Gichou. Adam was a valuable crewmember and a close friend to all of us."

"Without him, there were many times we probably would not have survived." Luna echoed.

"All right, all right!" The chairman laughed. "However I would need one more FAITH officer to override the ruling. Gladys-cancho?"

"Eh." She nodded. "I fourth the motion."

"Very well then." Durandal put his hand out to Shinn. "I therefore will bestow Adam Cancho a second Nebula medal for his posthumous efforts."

"Eh? A second, sir?" Shinn blinked.

"Did you really think that I'd take away your decoration, even for the sake of your friend, Shinn?"

Shinn smiled widely as a tear slipped out of his eye. "Thank you, sir!" He gripped his hand tightly. The applause resumed with fervor.

Fllay and Adam ate facing each other in her private dining room. "There's one thing I'm confused about from when you told me your story yesterday. If you'll permit me, may I ask a question?" The red-haired beauty put down her silverware and rested her hands in her lap. "Well, the gap is from there to here. How did you get to this city in the mountains, with all these people serving under you?"

She blinked. "That was your question? I thought it would be something a little more painful than that." The teen relaxed a bit. "When I got back to Earth, I claimed my father's inheritance in secret. It was a rather large sum of money, especially since my mother's inheritance was also lumped into it, when she died before Papa. Using that money, I erased myself from existence. Fllay Alster was considered dead, but I still walked the streets as a phantom of her. Half of the remaining funds I invested into companies and stock markets that would double, if not triple the value put in. The rest I used to seclude myself here."

"I see. But why erase yourself? Wouldn't it be a joyous occasion to go and see your friends again, as someone who is alive and well? Especially Kira."

"Okay, that one hurts a lot more." She winced and held her arms. "There was a gap in time before I got back to Earth and claimed my inheritance. By the time I returned, Kira had found someone else, and someone far better than me."

"Lacus Clyne?" the fruit-haired teen spoke in a low tone.

"Yes." She whimpered. "But knowing how much I had damaged him in the past, I couldn't bring myself to go back into his life. He was better off with Lacus, and thinking that I was dead."

"You really have a low opinion of yourself, you know that?"

"Just shut up and eat." She stuffed a piece into her mouth.

"Hai, hai." He took a long swig of cranberry juice. "On the bright side, you've become a lot nicer to people like me, Coordinators I mean. Though things got off to a bit of a rocky start between us, I'm honored to say that we've become friends, right?"

"Right… friends… um, yeah, definitely!" Her melancholy face cheered up for a quick second before it fell and sighed. A knock came on the door. "Enter!"

"Hmm?" Fllay's second in command entered. "Oh, pardon me ma'am. I didn't realize you had company. I'll come back later."

"Oh please, Appolly, it's just breakfast banter. Come now, what is it?"

Adam's jaw stopped chewing. He swallowed hard before he pointed his finger shakily at the man. "You're Appolly? THAT Appolly?" He turned towards the girl and back again.

They both nodded, and the man spoke. "Think about it. If it hadn't been for this woman sitting across from you, I and many other people would be dead. We owe her our lives, and so we are here, serving and supporting her as our thanks." As Adam thought over that statement, the former Dominion FCS officer turned to his commander. "Anyway. We've gotten a report from our informant in Carpentaria about Djibril's location."

"Carpentaria? It's not from Gibraltar?"

"No ma'am."

"So? Finish the report."

"Gichou!" One of his aides came up to Durandal and Gladys in a power walk while they waited for the elevator.

"Now what?" He shot back.

"Lord Djibril has been found, sir." He said after he saluted. The three pilots descending the steps overheard his voice and halted in midstep. "Carpentaria's Intelligence Division submitted the report."

Appolly and the ZAFT aide showed a picture to Adam, Fllay, and Durandal respectively. It showed a photo of Djibril, shaking hands with Unato and Yuuna. "In ORB."

Adam's chair went flying back as he stood and stared at the image. Shinn went wide eyed and his breath caught in his throat. Fllay said it for all of them. "Damn it! Of all the places!"

Carpentaria scrambled all of its available forces to the ORB border within minutes. Battleships, mobile suit carriers, submarines, and helicopters painted the horizon gunmetal gray. "It goes without saying that we demand he be turned over. The Heaven's Base battle is his accountability, and he is guilty of multiple other crimes due to confessions from Logos sources. Those who harbor him do not deserve forgiveness!" As Durandal held an emergency meeting, Talia bit her lip tightly. At that exact moment, Unato and Djibril were sipping tea.

Word began to spread quickly throughout ORB, reaching Minerva, Cagalli, and Athrun. Even into space where Kira and Lacus read Terminal's report. The base commander then took his turn in the briefing. "Even though Carpentaria has dispatched a fleet to back up our demands, we will remain on high alert just in case the worst case scenario comes to pass. We ask that the Minerva launch right away, as a vanguard to the Carpentarian fleet."

"Eh?" Gladys stepped through the mass of commanders. "My ship is leaving the base?"

"You of all people should know just how powerful they potentially are." She clucked at his unfeeling statement. Adam slammed his fist into the chair in his quarters, throwing books around in a tearful rage as Fllay watched in concern from the doorframe.

"Logos's demonic evils cannot go unpunished anymore!" Durandal silenced everyone as he stood and turned to the window. Doing rush checks in his mobile suit, Shinn scratched his head roughly in irritation. "Let us make sure this is the final time we have to go after him!"

"Sir!" The room saluted.

Adam panted hard, sweating, his limbs limp at his sides as he went to his knees. "The maids are going to kill you for this." Fllay finally stepped into the room. "You know we have a punching bag in the gym if you want to take a crack at it." She picked up a piece of what probably was the side table. "This is the first time I've seen you like this."

"You don't understand." He whispered. "You weren't there." He whipped around and grabbed her shoulders, saline drops streaming down his face. "I was there when the battle for Onogoro took place, Fllay! I saw everything slowly burned to the ground! And now ZAFT is going to torch it a second time!"

"Adam… you're hurting me…" Fllay squeaked.

It was only at that time he realized how hard he was digging his fingers into her arms. "I… I'm sorry. I just… I was just a kid! I couldn't do anything! And now… and now…." He couldn't finish the sentence as he slammed his fists into the carpeting. "It's the same! It's the fucking same!"

She smiled sadly as she brought his head to her chest and cradled him. "It's okay Adam. Just let it out. Let it all out." As he bawled out his sufferings into her, the irony was not lost on her as to the last time she was in this position, with Kira. But something drastic had changed between then and now, for now all she had were pure thoughts for the one she held.

Yuna's voice echoed throughout the world's speakers as everyone kept watch. "As acting ORB Representative, it falls to me to answer the ultimatum set upon us."

Cagalli gasped. "Yuna?!"

"The person you have demanded the extradition of named Lord Djibril does not exist in this nation."

"Eh?" Everyone on the Archangel gasped. "YUNA!" The blonde yelled at the screen.

"Eh? What's he…." Arthur spoke from his position.

"Just shut up and listen!" Talia scowled at him.

"Kuso!" Adam ground his teeth together. "Being a bastard is one thing, but this just takes the cake!"

"In addition, we, as a nation, find such intimidation to be an insult to our nation's dignity as a sovereign state. Thus, we find such actions deplorable."

"Ueh?!" Shinn jolted.

"As such, we request that your forces leave our border at once." The calm man ended his speech.

Durandal rose. "We have no reason to participate in a farce such as this. If they respond to our expectations with nothing but lies, then I stand against them with justice and a burning desire for peace as my defense! Lord Djibril shall be dragged out by the scruff of his neck!"

"Sir!"

"KUSO!" Adam slammed his fist into the coffee table. "Has everything I've done up to this point been a waste? I piloted Falcon so I could end the war and give my parents a better world… but did I really do anything? I'm on the sidelines again as I watch another fleet of ships attack my homeland!"

"But Adam, look at what it has brought you! You're here, safe, with me. Nothing can harm you here."

He got up and paced like a madman. "And what about all those people that are going to die over there? God! I just want to do something to help! I can't just sit around! I did that last time and I felt absolutely powerless!"

Fllay rubbed her hands together ever so slightly. " 'If I say I can do nothing, and then do nothing, then I really can't do anything at all.'"

"Huh?"

"That's something I was told from a young love a long time ago. I'll always remember it." It was Kira Yamato's statement she quoted. She stood up and stopped in front of Adam. "I even remember what I said to him after that. 'Then let my feelings protect you.' Come, I have something to show you." She grabbed his wrist and started pulling.

"Operation Fury is a go!" Klaxons blared across the ZAFT fleet. "Condition Red announced! Condition Red announced!" Pilots were raised to their units cockpits in scramble. "Bombardment locations aquired. ORB mainland: Seiran household, National Defense Headquarters, ORB Administration Offices. Pajon squad, ASSHUs, Beil squad, GOOhNs, prepped for launch. All units, all weapons free."

From the St. Helens, the submarine flagship of this mission, the commander picked up the transmitter. "Our target may be Lord Djibril, don't hold back on ORB's current administration now that they've allied with Logos. Eradicate or capture them. That being said, we don't want any civilians getting caught up in this, so make sure your hits are precise." ASSHU and GOOhNs propelled out of the submarines. Goufs and Babis were shot into the sky from their carriers. All of their electronic eyes set their cycloptic sights on the island nation.

"I've got enemy contacts!" Miriallia bellowed. "They're all launching from the ZAFT fleet!" Murrue and Cagalli quickly turned to her. "ASSHU, GOOhN, DINN, BABI, GOUF, in varying amounts!"

"Damn it all!" Athrun struggled to sit up. "Too soon… Kira…." He collapsed onto his side.

"Why are you still trying to do that?!" Meyrin gasped as she rolled through the door.

"And you think you're actually going to be able to do anything with a body that wounded?" Neo sat up. "It can't be helped, so just lay your ass down and rest."

"I can't stay here, Commander…."

"Why does everyone call me Commander? It's Ca-pi-tan!"

"Okay, um, Fllay. Yoohoo, Fllay?" Adam flailed around with his free hand and one leg as he hopped on another to keep his balance.

"Hmm? What is it?" She looked back, cracking a smile at his performance.

"You're pulling a bit hard you know. Like remove-ball-joint-from-socket hard."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I hadn't realized." She released his hand quickly. "Better?" She tightened hers slowly, not liking the empty feeling.

"Much." The boy rotated his shoulder and swung his free arm around a bit.

"Good to hear. Now if you've forgotten, ORB's got a crisis on its hands so come on!" The redhead turned around quickly, her long hair sweeping her back.

Ramius practically ripped her captain's phone from its cradle. "Murdock, can we send out the ship yet?"

"That's a joke right?! We still haven't gotten all the engines fixed!" Cagalli bit her lip tightly.

Hidden amidst the GOOhNs were some of a special type. As most of them rose to climb up on shore, these slammed straight into the rocky shores and started burrowing. These were ZAFT's newest experiment, the GOOhN Underground Mobility Test Types. Only time would tell if they would pass or fail this test.

Babis flew directly into the city, unhindered by defense troops, squeezing through the spaces in skyscrapers, making windows shake, and scaring a lot of businesspeople. As they flew over a certain limousine, a pale man with a price on his head looked out past them with a disturbed look. Then the explosions began around the Seiran mansion. "Eeh." Djibril grunted as servants and maids ran for their lives.

"Detecting a bombardment on ORB's main island!" Milly shouted out the news as soon as she got it on her screen. Cagalli choked on air as she stood erect.

At the frontline base, the radar was going insane. "The Izanagi Coast has unfolded as the landing area for enemy mobile suits. They're closing!"

"Ah mou! Why are things going like this?" Yuuna walked into the room. "I said he wasn't here, so why are they still going after us?"

The commander was very thankful for being a commander at that point, that and his permission to be frank due to that rank. "Because they know it was a lie!"

"Enh!" Yuuna flinched.

"Why did Parliament send such a halfwitted response?"

"But, two years ago, when Archangel was…."

"The governmental body and the world situation is completely different from then to now!"

The immature man was taken aback by the comment, again. "Ah… um… Shut up, seriously! Anyway, begin defensive countermeasures immediately! Send out the Escort Fleet immediately! Intercept and eliminate! Mobile suit squads, launch!" They were already underway before he finished the statement.

"Amagi, our Murasame squadron is launch capable, correct?" Cagalli turned her eyes to the taller man.

"Uh? Yes."

"Then we'll go." The girl nodded resolutely. "Captain, sorry but I'll need to commandeer a Sky Grasper!"

"What?" The request stunned the captain.

"Cagalli-sama!"

"It may be all we've got, but we'll launch just the same!"

The ORB fleet put out a desperate barrage to counteract a missile attack from the BABI formations. "That's just too reckless!" Murrue yelled after her as she made her way towards the elevator. "In something like a Sky Grasper…!"

"ORB is going to be turned to ashes again!" It was as if the princess could hear the scream of the Murasame pilot that was shot up by the Gouf's gattling gun, or feel the pain of the ones that were pierced by the Babi's core cannon, or smell the napalm as the missiles landed on the beach. "I won't sit around anymore!" She made a mad dash to the elevator.

At the same time two people emerged from the same elevator, Kisaka and a special guest. The blonde girl ran blindly into the larger man and was bounced backward. "Cagalli?"

"Colonel Kisaka?" Amagi was obviously not expecting his presence.

"Erica-san?" Murrue recognized his companion, the leader of the Astray Project, Erica Simmons.

"Come on, Amagi!" Cagalli was unphased. "We can't waste time!"

"Hold it, Cagalli!" Kisaka's strong hands clamped down on her shoulders.

"I've already said I'm not waiting! Let go!"

"Just calm down and come with me!"

"No way! If I'm fated to watch, I'd rather be burned with my nation!"

Kisaka only smiled and let out a small chuckle. "Well that would be a problem. That's why I asked you to follow me."

Fllay halted at a very large cargo bay door. She finally released the pincer grip she had on his hand as she went to her neck. The older teen tugged a card off of her necklace and walked to the access pad to the left of the door. "I brought you here so you may know the true secret of this facility. And it is in…" She swiped the card through the reader and pressed her hand onto the screen. The door began to open wide. "This room."

Adam and Fllay walked side by side, in step with each other as they entered into the darkness. When they reached a railing they stopped and the lights snapped on to reveal… nothing. The boy looked left and right. "Okay, I see a lot of metal, a couple of minor computers. Where is it?"

"Look down." The girl pointed with one finger.

Adam peeked over the railing, and saw the familiar silhouette of a jet. "GWAH?" He was so stunned that he almost went over the rail.

"FAID-R1, codename: Eagle." A young man with red, curly hair stepped out of the shadows and yawned. "Yo. Had a feeling I'd see you again, kid."

Adam's lower back slammed into the rail as he pointed a very shaky finger at him. "Sh...Sh…SHERIDAN?" Adam turned to the girl. "Is there anyone else I know that's here? My fifth grade gym teacher perhaps?"

"Nah, he's bouncing at some club down in Nicaragua." Sheridan chuckled.

"Will you two please be serious?" Fllay shot them both very deadly daggers.

"Yes, ma'am." They answered simultaneously in very small voices.

Fllay pressed her palms to the railing and looked down at the mobile armor. "Project Eagle. It was the real reason why I created this institution." She sighed. "When I had learned that Freedom was all but destroyed after the Battle of Jackin Due, it was my hope that I could create a mobile suit for Kira to use if he ever needed to again. Of course I never considered that he might actually rebuild it. Even after we learned that Freedom had arisen from the ashes like a Phoenix, we still continued on, just in case. But then… after that fight with Impulse…." She stopped when her voice trailed off. A single tear ran down her cheek.

"Fllay…." Adam rested a hand on her shoulder. "He's not dead. I saved his cockpit before my Murasame disintegrated. Kira is still out there, I know it!"

"Adam," She sniffed and dabbed the tears out of her eyes quickly. "But she's no longer his to claim. Eagle needs a pilot."

Two heavy doors receded after an old dusty lock was released, and Cagalli, Amagi, Kisaka, and Erica all entered the darkened bay. The lights snapped on. What they reflected off of was so bright and yellow, Cagalli had to shield her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she gasped at what she saw was standing there. "A golden mobile suit?" Amagi was as shocked as anyone. Indeed, the giant robot that stood immobile before them was covered from head to toe in gold and onyx armor. Its body was modeled after Strike, but Strike never looked so regal.

Cagalli." From the speakers above, the words of a man echoed through the chamber.

"Father…?"

"If there should be a day when you're in need of power, I give you this in response to that need. Power is only that, power. Only fools wish for too much of it, but to hate it totally is just as foolish. The sword was made to protect. If you need it now, then grasp it with your two hands!"

A warm, silky hand slid over Adam's, and he turned his head towards its female source. "Fllay…."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Adam please, take Eagle. A sword has no purpose if it just lies unused, and I trust you with its power. Will you… will you allow me to protect you with these true feelings?"

The boy placed his free hand on hers and stood to face her. When she looked him in the eye, he nodded. "Arigato, Fllay."

In central command everything was going crazy. "Baramatsuraba's second defensive line has been broken!"

"The defensive line around the mainland has totally collapsed! If we don't reorganize the troops, we'll be wiped out!" Commander Soga stated without even a blink to Yuna.

"Then do it!" Yuuna snapped at him. "Just hurry up and do it!"

"Then give us your orders, sir!"

The system screens activated all around Cagalli as she gripped the controls. The bootup was complete, and Akatsuki's blue eyes flashed to life. As the fueling cables disconnected from the mobile suit, the opened the hatches above the suit. "ORB-01 Akatsuki, system activation. You're free to launch."

"Cagalli Yula Athha, Akatsuki, hashin saru!" The engines burned white hot, and the golden suit shot out of the cave like a bat out of hell. The golden sword was released.

Adam's screens came to life around him as he turned the ship towards the exit. The double layered bay doors opened up with a blast of cold, snowfilled air rushing in. The pilot pressed the phase shift armor button, and the entire thing was coated with a blue and brown color scheme, like the Falcon before it. The boy locked on the breaks and jammed the engines to full. "Adam Cancho, Eagle, aim for the stars!" The brakes unlocked and the brand new mobile suit, the sapphire sword was out to meet the world, spreading its six wings out along its body.

One Gouf in a wipped out area suddenly came under concentrated fire from above. "Are… are those reinforcements? AGH!" The mobile suit exploded, taking the pilot with it.

In the base itself, the radar operators were completely confused. "Soga-san, new troops have appeared over the coast!"

"What was that?"

"Eh?" Yuuna completely forgot about his argument with the man.

"Their ident codes ID them as Takemikazuchi's units!"

"Say that again?"

"T-takemikazuchi?!" Yuna trembled, the words of the late commander ringing in his ears. A visual appeared of the lead mobile suit, the golden gleam of Akatsuki. "What the hell is that?"

From the strange suit, on a special ORB channel, a transmission echoed throughout the base. "I am Uzumi Nala Athha's daughter, Cagalli Yula Athha. Defensive HQ, are you reading me?"

As whispers began running through the base commanders, Yuna managed to warp over to the radio controls, snatching up a microphone. "Cagalli! C…Cagalli! You really did come! My Honey! Thank you so much, my beautiful goddess! I'm the one commanding, me!"

The girl's voice turned soft and caring, even as ZAFT troops vectored in on her. "Yuna!" She fired her rifle into a DINN. "Do you agree that I truly am the Representative Emir of the United ORB of Emirates?"

"Definitely. Definitely! Definitely! I definitely know it's you! She's telling the truth everyone!"

The girl's act came to an end right then and there, as her true gruff self returned. "Then with the power I wield, I order all available officers to apprehend and restrain Yuuna Rouma under the charge of high treason! Restrain him!"

"Eh?" Yuuna looked up at the screen, not catching most of what she said.

Soga silently went up next to him. "As ordered by our leader, I shall now begin my restraint upon you!"

"Huh?" Yuuna turned just in time to get a completely slugged in the cheek and thrown back a few feet.

"I have shown restraint against you sir! And may I say that felt damn good!" Soga rubbed his knuckles as the others piled on him.

"C… Cagalli!" It was the only thing he could think of as he struggled against the mass of humanity on top of him.

On the bridge of the Archangel, the wounded ace and his female crutch limped through the door. "Athrun!" Miriallia went wide-eyed once she saw him.

"Oi oi oi!" Her partner couldn't find any other words.

"I'll be fine." He answered her unspoken question. "At the very least, I can operate in CIC."

On the surface helipad, a security officer took a knife to Neo's bonds. "What's this? Why are you doing this?"

"Your injuries have already healed, I'm sure." Murrue stood opposite him, her face unreadable. "Staying here will only cause you more harm."

"Ah?"

"The Skygrasper… well… it may be a fighter, but we already had it prepped. Please take it and go." The last she said with tears beginning to well. His retort caught in his throat as she turned the other way, sniffing. "You're not Mwu. You never were!" She dashed off, trying to run away from not only him, but the aura of her dead love.

Three Murasame pulled up in formation and transformed, raining down beam shots on the Babis below with pinpoint accuracy. Two more in the air targeted Akatsuki as a command unit and fired their core cannons at her. Cagalli only stretched out the metallic body. It took both attacks and sent them back directly where they came from, piercing and destroying the ones who attacked. From the back of her flight unit, two beam cannons unfolded at Cagalli's hips, and she fired them along with her rifle into three Goufs, not letting their pilots live to see tomorrow.

"Doust team has been disabled! They're falling back!"

"Area-12's coastline, we're being repelled."

Things were not going as planned for ZAFT, as the St. Helens monitored the situation. "What the hell is going on? Just seconds ago they were about to collapse!" The general grumbled to his aide.

"Minerva is coming in from 8 o'clock! Distance: 20!"

In the pilot's lounge on Minerva, the three pilots leaned against the sofa, watching the screen. "So where's Djibril?" Shinn grunted.

"Apparently he has yet to be found. They're rather persistent in their resisting." Ray spoke flatly.

"Uh? Shinn?" Luna turned to him, noting his non-reaction.

"We have no need to launch all three suits at once." Ray shrugged. "I should suffice for the time being."

"No." The black haired boy's brow furrowed. "I'll be the one to go."

"Eh? But Shinn, you…." Luna put her hand on his shoulder.

"I agree. Don't think that way." Ray spoke quietly.

"No, I'm going out!" He made his way to the elevator. 'If ORB is the target, then I'm the one who will destroy it!'

Soon, the Archangel surfaced right next to the cliff the Sky Grasper was sitting on. As the battleship rose into the sky, letting the water roll off its smooth metal in a spray of heavy mist, Neo followed it with his eyes. Murrue noticed him still on the rocks for a moment before turning to the front.

"Shinn Asuka, Destiny, ikkimas!" The blue and red PS armored suit shot out of the portside catapult.

A Murasame got a rifle shot from behind. Another turned towards the source. "What the…?" He never got a shot in before he was vanquished.

"Cagalli-sama, be on your guard! One of ZAFT's new units has…!"

"That thing is…." Cagalli focused her sensors on it, and recalled the broadcast, and the destruction that certain mobile suit caused against Heaven's Base. "Kgh!" She thrust herself towards the new arrival.

"Kegghhh!" Shinn snarled through his teeth as his radar beeped incoming.

"Eeeeehhh!" Cagalli fired at close range. Destiny spread its beam shield just in time to catch the blast.

"Kgh!" Adam was pulling some serious G-forces as he hit and broke the sound barrier. "Let me make it in time! Wait for me please! Mom. Dad. Wait for me, ORB!"

Akatsuki fired its beam rifle at Destiny multiple times. Each time it hit, it just dissipated off of the beam shield. Cagalli gritted her teeth as she unfolded the cannons from her flight pack. "If that thing breaks through, then ORB will..." She fired both cannons and her rifle at the blue and red mobile suit, which easily dodged two shots and deflected the third.

"Tch! What the hell is that thing?" Shinn snarled. Destiny's beam cannon uncoupled from its housing on its back and unfolded into firing position.

"Uah!" Cagalli gasped quickly as she stretched the mobile suit out, so the beam got a direct hit into its chest. In a flash, the red and blue energy weapon was sent right back where it came from, barely giving Shinn time to dodge.

"Beams get reflected?" He tested his theory by shooting at its head with his rifle. The green energy just split into three parts on impact. "If that's the case!" Destiny folded up the beam cannon and made the switch with its anti-ship sword. With the saber pointed straight ahead, Destiny unfurled its great plasma wings. With the sword slung over his shoulder, Shinn gunned his thrusters straight towards the unknown suit.

It was nearly too fast for Cagalli to react. She was frozen as she saw the blade and the afterimages of Destiny. "Cagalli-sama!" A cry came from above. An entire squadron of Murasame vectored in, firing at Destiny, and getting Shinn's attention. He changed course and slid past the green energy with ease. As a Murasame tried to pass under him, Shinn slashed his sword and cut it in half.

Destiny easily swerved around the weaponry discharges as its wings unzipped the sky. "That won't hit me!" As he flew up to meet the three assaulters, he caught an untransformed Murasame with his blade. The pilot no longer existed.

"AUGH!" A pilot's last cry was heard as his mobile suit was pierced by a beam shot from Destiny's rifle. Another pilot's sensor beeped too late, as Destiny cut it lengthwise with his massive sword.

Among the flaming debris that was falling around him, Shinn turned to the golden suit. "Egh!" Cagalli grunted as she pulled back. From the suit's left hip, she pulled out a double-edged beam saber and readied her shield before she went full burn.

Shinn did the same with his big blade. "Could that be the commander's unit?" They clashed sword and shield. "Your skills don't amount to anything!"

"Ughe!" Cagalli strained against the controls.

With Archangel in sensor range, everyone gasped at something. "That's Destiny?!" Athrun swallowed at his monitor as he slashed Akatsuki's shield down the middle. "Shinn!"

"Gegh…" Cagalli's cockpit shook as she throttled back in urgency.

The Minerva's bridge also saw something unbelievable. "Archangel?!" Arthur's jaw was halfway to the floor.

"As we feared, they didn't sink after all." Gladys bit her lip.

"Haaaaaaahhh!" Shinn yelled as he took a Flash Edge boomerang from his shoulder and whipped it Akatsuki's way.

The blonde commander couldn't react fast enough, her forward momentum from her charge not helping as her mobile suit lost its left arm. "Guh!" Sliding to the side with no way to recover, Shinn took his chance. The second boomerang was unleashed as the first was on its return, a perfect pincer maneuver that no one unit could escape from. And she knew it too.

"CAGALLI!" Athrun couldn't restrain himself at his monitor.

A meteorite came from space above at untrackable speed, however it wasn't a rock. Two mobile suits, their armor red from the heat, entered the battle from above, Strike Freedom in the lead, with another suit in tow. As the armor cooled, the second suit gleamed a deep purple with green trim. Seeing he was short on time, Kira broke away. "Make it!" The railguns unfolded and sent two rounds within meters of Akatsuki, intersecting the forward boomerang and detonating it.

The explosion threw Cagalli free of the path of the first, Destiny grabbing it as he checked the skies. "Nani?!" Freedom dove at him from the shine of the sun. "Houh?!" He gasped as he noticed the radar shadow. Freedom engaged both of its sabers and accelerated into combat, taking a swipe at Destiny as pulled back.

It was only then that the rest of the battlefield noticed their presence. "Kira!"

"What just…?" Luna tried to replay it as Ray's face turned into a massive scowl.

Kira put himself between Shinn and his sister, the golden hinges shining in his eyes. "Freedom? Why is that… No way!" His astonishment turned to anger. "Just why?!"

"Murrue-san, Lacus is in your care now." The channel also broadcast to the pink-helmeted woman in the purple suit as it came in on landing approach. "Leave this one to me. Cagalli, get back to ORB!"

"You got it!" She responded after she snapped out of her hesitation.

Freedom dove forward, and Destiny spread its wings in response. "KUSO!" Shinn growled before they clashed twice in midair.

As Archangel opened its hatch to admit the newcomer, Athrun forced himself to stand. "Duh!" He winced, and Meyrin was immediately at his side.

"We'll advance to the front immediately." Gladys sent an urgent message to the commander. "By your leave, I trust?"

"A…ah."

"Accelerate and liftoff immediately! Starboard ten! Today Archangel falls!"

"Hai!" Water poured off the base of the ship as it banked to intercept.

"Minerva is on its way." Murrue squinted. "Everyone got that?"

"Hai!"

"Launchers 1 through 10, load Dispars. Tristan and Isolde, targeting Archangel!"

"Rear missile launchers, load Sledgehammers! Gottfried and Valiants, targeting Minerva!"

The ships stared each other down, as did their captains, as Arthur and Amagi handled the timing. "TEI!" Their payloads unleashed simultaneously. Missiles intersected anti-air bullets, sending clouds of fire and smoke that were soon torn through by beam cannons and projectile blasts, just above or below their targets. As they passed each other, the second volley of beam cannon energy intersected anti-beam disperser packs. Neither of the two ships took damage as they prepared for the second attack run.

The atmospheric radar went on alert as a metal stone entered, its bolts exploding. "What the?" A ZAFT soldier pulled it up as he hunkered behind some wreckage.

"Is that a ZAFT drop pod?" A Murasame pilot swallowed in fear.

The three suits within the pod landed in crouched position. Their black and purple armor rose to full height as their monocular camera activated. The one on the left sighed. "I just knew Earth's gravity would be a pain."

"What are you saying now?" The leader of the team side glanced his video feed. "Let's get moving, dumbasses!"

"Ouh!" The one on the right acknowledged.

"For Lacus-sama's goals!"

"What the… hell are those?" Milly put up the new units on screen as their formation cut through a platoon of ZAFT mobile suits on the ground, and one in the air.

"Murrue-san. Cagalli-san." Lacus sent a message from the bay. "The drop pod's mobile suits are not to be fired upon."

"Eh?"

"They are a specialized team that agree with our cause, and have requested to participate in this battle. Please treat them as such." The three mobile suits hit their throttles and coasted above the surface like hovercraft. They fired their beam rifle portions into three ZAFT suits as they passed, their beam shields activated on their arms. A Zaku that was dumb enough to pursue one got a shot to the chest that overloaded the battery and exploded.

"I understand."

The bay door slid open in a hiss. "Lacus! Endh…"

"Athrun!" She gasped, seeing his weakened condition.

"Lacus-sama?" Meyrin studied her in silent thought. "Then, is this the real one?"

Shinn took two downward swipes at Kira, the speedy suit dodging each attack. "Kuso! Why are you alive?!" Kira's SEED dropped in front of his eyes. Tossing his rifles into the air, he engaged the deflectors on the back of his hands and caught the third swipe in a bare-handed catch, something that human martial arts masters couldn't even accomplish uninjured. "Uegh?!" The railguns unfolded at his hips and let off its rounds. The explosion ripped the sword from Destiny's grasp and Freedom tossed it away.

"Hagh!" Luna squeaked in fear as she and Ray clamped onto the couch in the lounge.

Backing away from the smoke, Shinn drew his rifle. "If that had been a beam…" Kira caught his rifles and readied them for a counterattack. "Then it would have been finished! IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, HUH?!" Shinn's rage willed his SEED to shatter. Spreading his plasma wings he accelerated around Freedom, the buzz of his afterimages keeping Kira distracted as they exchanged rifle fire.

Athrun stared at the new metallic arrival as Lacus returned from the locker room, now changed into one of her favorite outfits. "Justice, huh?"

"Infinite Justice, to be precise."

"Are you also going to say that a soldier is my destined role? To only fight and kill…?"

"That kind of question I don't know the answer to." Her eyes trembled. The pain in Athrun's heart and mind was finally clear to her.

"Shinn!" Ray's face appeared in his communications window. "Regroup and resupply, now!"

"Kgh."

"We'll take him together!" Reluctantly Shinn turned back towards Minerva.

"With the injuries you sustained, that question must be exceptionally difficult." Lacus shook her head. "But Kira said this to me:…"

"_I think when you have the drive to make a difference, and you have no way to do it, that's the worst pain there is."_ He said it as they made plans to re-enter the atmosphere.

"That little…."

"If you close yourself off to everything now, then that pain will continue." Kira grit his teeth as he sliced through suit after suit in the horde sortied from ZAFT. "That if things have gotten too difficult, it would be better to give up and accept the end as inevitability. But doing that only brings about your own suffering, something no one close to you wants to see."

A half-destroyed GOUF flew under Minerva's port wing and overloaded. Gladys gripped her chair tightly. "Twenty degrees to port! Circle behind them!"

"Parsifal, tei!"

"From 11 o'clock, missiles. Number: 8."

"Kaihee!" Archangel's anti-air defenses went into overdrive as they banked to the side. Two missiles broke through the barrage and a beam-firing ally swooped in to intercept. It blew through the smoke in front of the bridge, clearing the view.

"Skygrasper?!"

"Heheh." Neo appeared on screen. "Sorry. I just don't know when not to butt in."

Murrue choked on the air. "Y-you?!"

"But you know, that Minerva over there… I don't really like it."

"Eh?"

"Relax, you'll win. I am the guy that makes the impossible possible!" His transmission cut.

"Hah?!" Mwu's final words flashed in the captain's head as the Grasper barrel rolled to the front. "Mwu…."

"Power is just that, power." Lacus looked into the face of Justice. "It only does what you want if you use it with all your heart."

Legend leapt out of Minerva's catapult, Destiny following shortly behind. Kira's sensors went wild. "That thing…"

"DEAY!" Shinn cried as he fired his resupplied rifle.

"Kgh!" Kira spread his shields again to intercept. Much to his surprise, his alarms still continued to blare.

A large jet came in on an intercept vector as a blue and brown phase shift coated its body. "TORYAAAH!"

"Nani?!" Shinn reacted too late as it slammed into him, throwing him off vector. "GWAH!"

"Shinn!" Ray gasped as he pulled back.

The plane spread six wings and rotated around, opening its claws and firing the beam cannons inside. Shinn spread his shield just fast enough to avoid destruction, blowing them both away. "I had a feeling you were still alive." Kira's audio echoed.

"Uh? You're…."

The plane's wings folded back, as a hatch opened underneath the claws. Simultaneously the claws receded and legs folded out. Two arms unfolded from the chest cavity as the beam cannon on the nose uncoupled and slid in to replace it. A white line ran down the nose and it separated, sliding onto the shoulders, a rifle and a shield sliding into its hands as its eyes flashed to life. "Tch. Another phantom appears." Ray snarled.

The operating system in Infinite Justice came to life, and its green eyes flashed on. The portside hatch opened, and the lights inside the catapult turned yellow and green, to indicate the clear path. Athrun's purple helmet barely hid his bandages. "The person I am is, Athrun Zala! Justice, deru!" The mobile suit shot out of the catapult, and the purple phase shift armor gleamed in the mid-day sun.

The new suit turned towards Destiny. "The machine that cut a Destroy in half… I won't let the same happen to ORB!" The pilot's brown eyes shone in anger.


End file.
